Arnel Mardoquio
Filmmakers are always at their mercy. The money which they do not own becomes their bargaining power to be able to inject their old style and dictatorial leadership under the guise of safeguarding the trust endowed to them by Cinemalaya Foundation. Over the years they love to pose as matrons yet morphing as the symbols of tyranny in the arena of independent filmmaking in the country today.
Two years ago, I was in the final list of entries in the 6th Edition of Cinemalaya and I was almost a victim of the resolute acts of the gang-of-three had I not vehemently refused and rejected their manipulations. Their acts were all documented as I have mademy protests in writing to the committee, but of course, nothing came for me except for the sweet moment when I decided to pull out my entry “SHEIKA”. Just like what happened to Emerson, my ordeal with this gang of three was very much identical in broad strokes.
The specific highlights in my dispute with Cinemalaya: First, after I signed the contract with them, Mr. Roby Tan approached and told me not to shoot so that they could have a say on my film. If I won’t take heed, my first tranche will never be released. Right from the beginning they made it clear that they wanted a female lead star from the mainstream cinema to play the lead role in my film. Second, weeks past I got a call from the monitoring team that I could not start shooting my film since I did not follow their directive to cast the female lead star of their choice. In that phone conversation with the monitoring team, a daughter of Roby Tan said to me: “Hindi papasukin ng media para panoorin ang film mo kasi hindi kilala ang mga artista mo. Dapat nag hire ka ng tunay na artista, hindi pwede yang Indie-indie mo” ( Media persons will not watch your film because your cast are not popular. You should have hired a real mainstream artist. Your indie style will not work.)
In all their efforts to meddle in my freedom, I have told the screening committee that they should watch their actuations: they have acted as if they were the producers of my film when they have only shelled out five hundred thousand pesos. Their style became studio-like and they started to act like dictators, bringing the old decadent system and attitude in the industry where they had come from. Plainly, they would remind me that Cinemalaya is one of the rarest venues where I could be launched as a director. But, I forget their sweet promises and bid them farewell. They had all the means to wrestle with the truth to the point of accusing me that my film has already been made prior to the final selection round and that they disqualified me for this. I was never disqualified. I pulled out Sheika from their rooster.
So, my award in Netpac-Cinemalaya and my winnings in Urian in 2011 for the same film I have disputed with the gang of three, especially for the best actress award were just great vindications on my part. Fe GingGing Hyde eventually became Urian's Best Actress, the unknown actress from the region of Mindanao. Shame on them!
To further boost the morale of director Emerson Reyes, he should look at Cinemalaya the way I consoled myself. It is a private enterprise. It is not a foundation in the real sense. The foundation was just made to cap the taxes of Mr. Tony Boy Cojuanco. That gang-of-three made Cinemalaya a pig pen. This is the only festival in the country that family members of their own can be involved in competitions, where their relatives are field strategically in the process of filmmaking, their closest kin could easily bag the best supporting actress award for several times, filmmakers in the main competition do not have the freedom to subtitle their films since the contract of subtitling has already been awarded to the company owned by the Festival Director, a member of the screening committee can jump the board and become the producer of the finalist entry. The worst part of it, last year's opening film of Cinemalaya came from the member of the gang-of-three. It's all in the family and finally, Roby Tan’s Seiko “Ang Wallet Na Maswerte” is back through the backdoor of CCP. What a mess inside the Cinemalaya pig pen. What a shame!
Since Cinemalaya is a private enterprise, then they can always do whatever they want. The festival is a three-in-one for them: Income and prestige and junkets abroad.
Why join in the fracas inside the pig pen just for the so called prestige and honor or the chance for your film to be programmed abroad? Now that Emerson Reyes is already out of Cinemalaya, I offer a toast to him. Cheers! He is finally out from the clutches of tyranny. The effect of this recent dispute is far from over. While some recall for reform within Cinemalaya to boot out the gang-of-three, I support them all the way. In my own small ways that I could give, I am launching a very local advocacy campaign to boycott any film from Cinemalaya entering the regions of Mindanao.
As Teng Mangansakan told me last week, this is a call to boycott Cojuanco products and services. We can do this. Why not?
Boycott Cinemalaya in Mindanaw!
(SGD)
Arnel Mardoquio
Regional Filmmaker
So, my award in Netpac-Cinemalaya and my winnings in Urian in 2011 for the same film I have disputed with the gang of three, especially for the best actress award were just great vindications on my part. Fe GingGing Hyde eventually became Urian's Best Actress, the unknown actress from the region of Mindanao. Shame on them!
Best Screenplay: Arnel Mardoquio
Best Actress: Fe GingGing Hyde
Best Editing: Willie Apa Jr and Arthur Ian Garcia
Sheika won Best Picture at the 6th Cinemalaya Film Fest- NETPAC Category
(pep.ph)
***
.jpg)
