***Modern Filipino cinema is dead, and this is my argument:
***
I finally saw a film from the legend Lino Brocka. I remember hearing his name from my 7th grade teacher (who was actually named after him) but my knowledge in film wasn't that amplified yet. Now it is. Thus, I finally decided to watch his work.
Now I know why he is well known in the Golden Era of Filipino cinema. After witnessing the raw intensity of Bona, it forced me into a concluded realization: Brocka has become a mere niche among the common Filipinos. It's a perfect depiction of how much our cinema has rotted. I can’t stop wondering how our films could’ve looked if we actually nurtured this kind of legacy instead of letting it become an archive of repetitive plots, themes, and characters.
I know for a fact there are plenty of creative, aspiring filmmakers among the youth, but they are forced to stifle their talent because of the fear of the unmarketable. It’s the intrusion of commercialism over craft. Producers would rather feed the masses recycled rom-coms and safe formulas than gamble on something raw or real.
Take Lav Diaz as an example: a truly underrated director. He has a new film, Magellan, but it was never the talk of the town nor the papers. Perhaps Filipinos are scared to embrace an alternative point of view on colonialism.
No, do not give me because film is not our tradition. It was. We had the passion, but now we just live in the radical change of perspective where quality is sacrificed for practicality.
***Modern Filipino cinema is dead, and this is my argument:
***
I finally saw a film from the legend Lino Brocka. I remember hearing his name from my 7th grade teacher (who was actually named after him) but my knowledge in film wasn't that amplified yet. Now it is. Thus, I finally decided to watch his work.
Now I know why he is well known in the Golden Era of Filipino cinema. After witnessing the raw intensity of Bona, it forced me into a concluded realization: Brocka has become a mere niche among the common Filipinos. It's a perfect depiction of how much our cinema has rotted. I can’t stop wondering how our films could’ve looked if we actually nurtured this kind of legacy instead of letting it become an archive of repetitive plots, themes, and characters.
I know for a fact there are plenty of creative, aspiring filmmakers among the youth, but they are forced to stifle their talent because of the fear of the unmarketable. It’s the intrusion of commercialism over craft. Producers would rather feed the masses recycled rom-coms and safe formulas than gamble on something raw or real.
Take Lav Diaz as an example: a truly underrated director. He has a new film, Magellan, but it was never the talk of the town nor the papers. Perhaps Filipinos are scared to embrace an alternative point of view on colonialism.
No, do not give me because film is not our tradition. It was. We had the passion, but now we just live in the radical change of perspective where quality is sacrificed for practicality.
