Philippines takes directing action to regain its role as a film capital

Lee Wing-sze

It's been a turbulent half-century for Filipino filmmakers. What once was one of the fastest-growing movie industries in the region - with quality movies such as Olive la Torre's blockbuster Roberta (1951), Gerardo de Leon's Ifugao (1954) and Manuel Silos' Biyaya ng Lupa (1959) - has faded into obscurity after years of political turbulence and recession. Mired in uncertainty, directors and actors watched as Hong Kong, South Korea and Malaysia overtook the Philippines as celluloid hotspots.

But with the establishment of a new film school in Cebu, some of the country's biggest movie moguls are trying to steer the industry back on course.

'The Philippines has been a popular outsourcing destination for the American market such as call centre services and other businesses,' says Michael Gleissner, chairman of Bigfoot Group, one of the Philippines' largest entertainment businesses.

'We believe there's a huge opportunity for Filipinos to create a local film industry that caters to the international market and attracts Hollywood productions, given the labour costs and English proficiency.'

Such hopes are behind Bigfoot's financial support for the International Academy of Film and Television. Established two years ago, the academy offers workshops on animation, cinematography, directing, editing, producing, screenwriting and sound design, as well as running corporate training programmes with Filipino media company ABS-CBN.