MANILA, Philippines – At the kick-off of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Liza Diño spoke about the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and the controversies that surround it.

Diño, who is also an Executive Committee (ExeCom) member of the MMFF, said on Thursday, August 3, “sana pakinggan natin at bigyan ng pansin yung nangyaring resignation (I hope we listen and pay attention to the resignations that took place). I think it’s a reason for us to do something.”

Last month, 3 members of the MMFF execom – Ricky Lee, Rolando Tolentino, and Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala – resigned “because the MMFF 2017 ExeCom took a different direction, by putting too much emphasis on commerce over art.”

Diño added, “As part of the ExeCom, there are processes and there are things na kailangan maayos (that need to be fixed) in terms of aligning the vision of the festival with the results that we have.”

“I think if we’re able to achieve that, mas magiging onboard lahat ng Pilipino at manonood sa pinupuntahan ng festival (more Filipinos and viewers will be onboard with the direction of the festival),” she added.

The MMFF was mired in controversy following the announcement of the first 4 entries to be included in the festival’s 2017 lineup. Included are Ang Panday starring Coco Martin, Almost is Not Enough starring Jennylyn Mercado and Jericho Rosales, The Revengers starring Vice Ganda, Daniel Padilla, and Pia Wurtzbach, and Love Traps #Family Goals, starring Vic Sotto and Dawn Zulueta.

The 2017 films are a marked departure from 2016’s lineup, which featured mostly independent movies.

As the FDCP chair, Diño said they are figuring out how to help the MMFF avoid further controversy.

Diño also called for unity in the film industry.

In her emotional speech at the PPP kick-off, Diño said that she started the project without prejudice, saying, “alam naman natin kung gaanong ka divisive ang industriya natin ngayon (we all know how divisive the industry is right now) and I’m very honest with this. This is the challenge right now of FDCP. Ang hirap po na napakarami nating faction dito (it’s really hard that we have so many factions here).”

“For us to be able to unite everyone is the bigger task of it all, aside from the programs that we’re doing,” she said.

Indie vs mainstream

In an interview after the event, Diño said that the industry places too much focus on the indie/mainstream divide, saying the goal should be to make good films. 

“Independent producers can afford to provide funding as much as mainstream studios. Mainstream studios are doing a lot of independent films so walang ganung divide na dapat eh (there shouldn’t be that divide anymore).”

“What would really set things apart are the films that we make. It will separate the good ones from the not so good ones. Films are films,” she said.

Diño said that she sees “a long battle” in the future of the film industry “because the system is so entrenched in us, the culture of film is such a creative art na hindi natin matatanggal na lahat ng filmmakers may mga ego.” (The culture of film is such a creative art that we can’t take away that all filmmakers have an ego.)

She said that filmmakers need to set their egos aside if they want to create projects that will benefit everyone.

Piracy

Diño also decried piracy, which she said is debilitating to the film industry.

“Ang isang pelikula, bago lumabas sa sinehan, pag napanood na siya at naging available na siya sa labas, maapektuhan lang sales ng sinehan. After mapanood sa sinehan pag may mga pirated copies na, wala na tayong DVD option or Blu-ray option kasi it’s everywhere na at binebenta siya at a cheap price. So it really affects the possible income or profit. This is no joke,” she said.

(One film, before it comes out in the cinemas, if people watch it and it’s available outside, ticket sales will be affected. After it comes out in the theaters and pirated copies are available, we don’t have the option of selling DVDs or Blu-ray copies because pirated copes are everywhere and are sold at a cheap price).

She said that the FDCP is currently studying ways to monitor and shut down torrent websites.

After the PPP, which will run from August 16 to 22, the FDCP will be holding a film workers summit on August 30 to 31. The two-day conference will be attended by over 700 film workers. Discussions on industry working conditions and policies will take place, as well as the drafting of a magna carta for film workers – Rappler.com