Inasmuch as the Execom has not yet decided to grant requests for the extension of the deadline as of presstime Friday, May 18, producers are well-advised to submit their scripts on May 23 next week.

The other requirements to be submitted are as follows:

–A letter of intent from the producer regarding his/her intention to participate in the MMFFP 2012.

–A notarized form of application to participate. (Forms are available from the MMFFP secretariat of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the two major producers’ organizations.)

–Entry fee of P30,000 for a screenplay. This will be non-refundable even if the entry will not be chosen.

–The film producing outfit’s Securities and Exchange Commission registration, Department of Trade and Industry and Bureau of Investments papers.

–Written confirmation of the stars and directors as proof that they are participating in the film.

–Fourteen (14) copies of the screenplay.

–Notarized affidavit of the producer to attest to the following:
a) That the screenplay has never been submitted to any other film festival.
b) That the producer conforms with the rules and regulations governing the 2012 MMFFP with an understanding that he/she shall produce the movie based on the submitted screenplay, filmography and notarized form of application to participate once selected by the Selection Committee.

As decided by the Execom, eight films will be shown simultaneously starting from Christmas Day for this year’s MMFF-P.

All entries and their P30,000 filing fees must be submitted on or before May 23 (Wednesday) at the MMFF-P Secretariat, First Floor, MMDA Building, EDSA corner Orense St., Guadalupe, Makati City

The second tranche of P600,000 was distributed on February 23 during the launching of the 2012 Metro Manila Filmfest while the first tranche of P400,000 was released on Feb. 15.

Since November, 2010, the distribution of the amusement tax proceeds was revised as follows:

MOWELFUND 50%
Film Academy of the Philippines 20%
Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council 20%
Optical Media Board 5%
Film Development Council of the Philippines 5%

Since 2006, the sharing scheme was as follows: MOWELFUND and the Presidential Social Fund, 35% each; the Academy and the FDCP, 10% each; and the Anti-Film Piracy Council and the OMB, 5% each.

Before this, the sharing had MOWELFUND, FAP and the Anti-Film Piracy Council getting 30% each with the remaining 10% going to the Presidential Social Fund.

The total share of the FAP for the past years are as follows:
2010—P2,240,000;
2009— P600,000;
2008—P900,000;
2007—P750,000;
2006—P1,300,000;
2005—P1,325,000;
2004—P7,400,000;
2003—P9,000,000;
2002—P7,000,000;
2001—P3,150,000
2000—P3,936,000;
1999—P4,600,000;
1998—P3,333,946;
1997—P2,620,397;
1996—P2,443,302;
1995—P2,440,000;
1994—P2,400,000;
1993—P3,300,000;
1992—P4,000,000;
1991—P3,233,000;
and 1990—P1,600,000

But as per my observation, a movie project actually starts with the budget. Kung ang script ang body of the movie, ang budget naman ang soul of the movie. There are actually instances where a producer has the budget but no idea on what movie to produce.

To highlight the importance of the budget, take note that everything depends on it. And the script? It can be revised or cannibalized in order to suit the given production budget. In other words, ang budget ang pinakamahalaga sa movie production.

In the local movie industry, ang primary item sa production budget ay ang TF (talent fee). Especially for mainstream movies, the TF is the biggest slice of the pie. For costing purposes, the TF starts from 500 pesos upwards.

Wala naman kasing defined standard or costing brackets pagdating sa artista. For big stars, their managers do the negotiating. In this age of indie movies, malaki ang ibinababa ng mga TF ng artista lalo na ng mga supporting actors.

The newcomers of the movie LARGAAA with Yasmien Kurdi: at left is Apple Delos Santos, Rachelle Araneta Perez, Paolo Diaz, Enrique Tan

Once the TF of the contracted talents are settled, the next in the agenda for the production budget is the technical cost. Noong araw kasi, movie productions use film kaya naka-layout na ang costing simula sa film supplies up to the laboratory fees.

Since we are in the digital age, let us focus on the digital camera. The rental for a digital camera starts at P5,000 per day. This does not include the accessories like filters and gears like dolly track. At hindi rin kasama ang lighting units.

Depending on your connections, a complete camera equipment unit can be rented for a minimum of P20,000 per day of use at depende pa rin sa equipment items na gagamitin. Puwedeng kasama na ang crew o puwede ring mga equipment lang ang hihiramin.

Some camera equipment rental includes audio devices like sound recorder and microphones. But an aspiring producer should take note that the camera equipment rental does not include the truck and the fuel.

The truck bearing the camera equipment

Same with the Production Design, bukod sa fee ng Production Designer ay meron pa siyang staff. And like the camera equipment, the PD group has its own vehicle. “Marami kasing props na dala ang mga PD,” explained an oldtimer.

Speaking of props, lumalaki ang budget kung fantasy dahil sa mga costumes and unusual props. Ang isa pang magastos na production design ay mga period movies – ang setting ay past or future – where the production design team would recreate a setting.

Another important part of the production budget is the salaries of the production staff. Except for the director, which normally is on a project basis, most of the staff like the PM (Production Manager) and AD (Assistant Director) are on a daily basis.

Not to be forgotten is the Utility person. “Dapat merong mauutusan,” said an Assistant Director referring to the dirty job of doing errands, carrying things and assisting in the logistics.

But before doing the production expenses, the producer should mind the pre-production expenses. The writer has to be paid for the story and the script. The location hunt also involves money for transportation and food.

The rented van for the service of the talents

Another item in the pre-production is the story conference or script reading. Minsan meron pang press con. Iba pa yung audition, i.e. normally done if the production wants to take in aspiring talents.

Back to production, maraming producers ang umaangal sa location shooting. Added expense kasi ang transportation. A small production project has about 35 people—that would translate into 3 vans for land travel. Paano kung air travel?

Added expense din ang location permits at location fee. And for the location shoot, hindi maiiwasan ang participation ng locals para sa crowd control o security. Ito ang mga unexpected costs na wala sa budget projection.

Huwag kalilimutan ang overtime expenses. Kadalasan ay humihingi ng dagdag na bayad ang mga rented vehicles lalo na kapag lumagpas sa midnight ang shooting. Sa pagkain ay extra rin dahil dapat may food serving at around midnight.

After the shooting ay post-production expenses naman ang kakaharapin. First in the list is the editing. According to some editors, mas mura ang editing ng video (non-linear) kaysa sa linear editing ng film.

Iba rin ang bayad sa Sound Technician para sa sound editing. Kadalasan ay meron ding charge ang studio dahil gumagamit ito ng licensed editing software. Kung may theme song ay iba pa ang gastos ng recording nito.

Sa mga big productions, the promotion expenses is equivalent to 1/3 of the production budget. That means if the production budget is P9 million then the budget for promotion should be P3 million.

Now that the production budget is clear, aspiring producers can start planning for their movie projects.

Para sa mga komento, puwede kayong mag-email sa corzhens@yahoo.com.

But eventually, business caught up with the masses as Kodak introduced the instamatic camera. Together with a non-disposable flash that used ordinary batteries, the 36-shot roll of film became a best seller.

Since progress never stops, technology came up with the digital camera. The transition from analog to digital has wrought damage to the business of film suppliers. But the consumers are happy for so many reasons.

First in list is the elimination of the costly film. Second is the ease of retrieving and seeing the photograph, not to mention the facility to edit (the word “photoshopped” has already found its way into the dictionary).

The mass production of digital cameras brings the price to the level of the masses, particularly to the Filipino masses. There’s also the small and powerful but inexpensive memory card.

But technology wouldn’t stop or perhaps technology has no intention to stop advancing. The resolution of digital photographs are getting better with the high megapixels. And free softwares abound for enhancement purposes.

Another point to consider is the video function that is being packaged in digital cameras, giving the videocam a run for its money. The digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras have high definition videos that makes it an equal to the movie cameras.

From the standard digital cameras, picture-taking has gone to the cell phones. Started by Apple’s iphone, cell phone cameras have become popular. There are also laptops that has a facility to capture images.

For the imaginative, micro cameras fitted in eyeglasses can be bought in digital stores. And there’s also the pen camera. Both cameras have the video function but with low resolution to save on memory.

And now, here comes the Lytro that is undoubtedly the camera of the future. Lightweight at slightly less than half a pound, the Lytro camera has a footprint as small as a stick of butter that makes it pocketsize.

The Lytro camera, as small as a stick of butter and less than half a pound in weight

The lens is at one end and the touch screen monitor at the other end. Like an ordinary digital camera, the Lytro has 8X optical zoom capability. For uploading, there’s the USB port at the bottom. The power comes from a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

But the downside of the Lytro, as compared to the ordinary digital camera, is the price. The low-end model, with a memory card of 8 gigabytes that is good for 350 shots, sells for $399 while the $499 model has double the capacity.

So if you think the Lytro is no different than the ordinary digital camera, think again. It has the facility to refocus and that means the focus can still be altered after you had taken the photograph, so much like an editing function.

On the computer screen, the picture readjusts by itself depending on the desired focus shift of the user. So it’s not plain photography anymore. The varying display of the foreground vis-à-vis the background is already cinematography in motion.

Compared to the standard camera, the Lytro captures more data. It also keeps track of the luminosity of light, the direction where it came from and also the colors. That information is called light-field data.

The Everyday mode has the refocus range automatically determined while the Creative mode lets the user select the control of the refocus range. Understandably, the Creative mode eats up more memory.

Another downside of the Lytro is the small screen (1.5 inches) which makes the display grainy. For the “editing” of focus, it is better to upload the shots to a computer since it is easier to tinker with the shots using the computer monitor than the small Lytron monitor.

But uploading the shots via the USB cable takes a lot of time – about a minute per image. This is due to the arrangement of data inside the image file. Probably this needs retrofitting to lessen the inconvenience of uploading.

And for the hard print, the Lytro is not competitive enough. The resolution is a mere 1080 by 1080 pixels, good for a 3R (3 by 5 inches) print. The resolution of a standard digital photograph is around 2,200 pixels.

Amid the excitement, the user should be aware that the Lytro is only compatible to the Mac. However, the maker promises to come up with
a model that would be compatible to the Windows operating system.

Overall, the Lytro doesn’t really seem to be a magic camera. But this is
a good start. Probably in the next few years we will be having the magic camera that will allow all the changes that we desire.

Comments to this article can be sent to ajsocorro@yahoo.com

Resource persons for module 1 (Technological Advances; Opportunities for Growth:

The Emergence of Creative Parks in Asia—Michael Lake, chief executive officer of the Pinewood Iskanda Studios Sdn. Bhd.

Michael lake has 40 years experience in production and management within both the Australian and international film and television industries. During his career, he has held senior executive positions at the Grundy Organization, Crawford Productions, Warner Roadshow Studios, Village Roadshow Pictures and WWE Films Inc. Lake currently sits on the advisory board of AFCI and AFCNet.

The End of the 35 mm Era—Edgar Tejerero, senior vice-president, SM Cinema West Avenue Theaters Corporation.

In his capacity as SVP, Ed is taking the lead in converting all SM Cinemas—the Philippines’ largest cinema exhibitor—to full digital facilities, a move that will put them in step with the rest of the world in terms of projection technologies. As such, he is truly at the forefront of the digital cinema revolution in the country.

The Future of Digital Cinema—Michael Williams, consultant of D Cinema Inc. and D Cinema Alliance on 2d and 3d technology and for alternative content.

He has been involved in the industry for the past 5 years with experience in driving impressive technological growth in the film and entertainment industry. An acknowledged expert in content and distribution, including 3d, with solid market knowledge and global reach.

Resource persons for module 2 (Location Shooting, Developing the Potential for Film in Tourism and Co-Production Ventures)

The Cambodian Model—Cedric Eloy, CEO-Executive Director, Cambodia Film Commission.

Cedric Eloy has worked in the film industry since 1998 when he started as the general secretary of the Amiens International Film Festival in France. In 2003, he set up the Picardy Film Commission in northern France, and has supported over 50 shoots a year by directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Stephen Frears as well as the HBO series Merlin.

In 2009, he was chosen to be the CEO of the newly created Cambodia Film Commission—a privately managed project to develop th3 film industry in Cambodia. Based in Phnom Penh, he is dedicated to creating a better filming environment locally, train crews and support foreign shoots in the land of smiles.

The Philippine Experience—Lope V. Juban Jr., president, Philippine Film Studios.
Jun is the president of Philippine Film Studios, a production outfit that specializes in local production coordination. Among the many inter-national films shot locally, Philippine Film Studios has worked on such prominent titles as “An Officer and a Gentleman”, “Born on the Fourth of July” and the “Survivor” series for Israel, Sweden and France. His latest production is the blockbuster Hollywood action franchise Bourne Legacy.

Co-Production Policies in China—Jiang Ping, secretary of the Party Committee of China Broadcasting Performing Arts Troupe, head of film & art department, state administration of radio, film and television, and president of the China Children’s Film Studio and vice-president of the Chinese Film Directors Association.

Indonesia’s Co-Production Initiatives—Syamsul Lussa, director for film affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Indonesia.
Malaysia’s Edge in Co-Production—Kamil Othman, vice-president for creative industry strategy & policy, Multimedia Development Corporation, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; president of the Creative Content Global Network (CCGN); Malaysia’s representative at the Asian Content Business Summit (ACBS) and the AFCNet.

Resource persons for Module 3 (Cooperative Programs for Education and Training; Film Trends in Asia)

Kim Ji-Seok, executive programmer, Busan International Film Festival.

Executive Programmer of Busan International Film Festival, Kim Ji-Seok has made substantial contibution to discovering and presenting new film talents of Asia through the festival. Thanks to his efforts, the festival has become the central hub of Asian Cinema and one of the most important film festivals in the world. He is in charge of official selection of Asian filmmakers as well as that of New Currents, the section that introduces up-and-coming Asian directors who deserve spotlight. He was named as the board member of NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) in April, 2000.

Kim Taekyun, head, film direction department, Korean Film Council/ Korean Academy of Film Arts.

Kim Taekyun studied political science and diplomacy at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and graduated from the Korean Academy of Film Arts. Director Kim debuted with Adventures of Mrs. Park, recognized by film critics for his attempt at new film language.

In 2001, Kim wrote and directed Volcano High which was hailed at many international festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival and Fantasporto-Oporto International Film Festival. The striking cinemato-graphy of Romance of Their Own and A Millionaire’s First Love gave him the title of being a stylish filmmaker.

Kim decided to direct his first human drama Crossing after watching a TV documentary on the tragic reality of North Korean life. He was deeply affected by the harsh reality that the majority of the people chose to ignore. With a striking precision of storyline that is true to reality and a mature interpretation, Crossing is destined to be the turning point of his film career.

With the theme ‘The Future Has Arrived’, IFC 2012 will be attended by an impressive roster of foreign and local resource persons from the world of international cinema who will discuss the latest trends and developments in the motion picture industry worldwide.

Film Academy of the Philippines Director General Leo G. Martinez has been invited by FDCP Chairman Briccio G. Santos to participate in the two-day conference.

The FAP director general was specifically invited to participate in setting up “a working network that can facilitate co-production ventures and exchange of technology and knowledge among the motion picture industry players from the participating countries in the Asian Film Commissions and the ASEAN.”

Briccio explains that the FDCP has arranged an array of interesting topics for the conference, like building creative capabilities, enhancing technical expertise and providing opportunities for collaborative work among film-makers in the Asian region, including large-scale co-production ventures by Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

The conference topics will be sub-divided into three modules as follows:
June 26, 9:45 am to 12:30 p.m.—Module 1 “Technological Advances; Opportunities for Growth”

June 26, 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.—Module 2 “Location Shooting, Developing the Potential for Film in Tourism and Co-Production Ventures”

June 27, 9 a.m. to 12 noon—Module 3 “Cooperative Programs for Education and Training: Film Trends in Asia

(The resource persons for each module are in separate article published with this news item—editor)

Simultaneously, the ASEAN Committee members of the Asian Film Commission Network (AFCNet) will be holding a landmark summit meeting in Manila on June 26-28.

Attending the summit meeting will be the heads and representatives of various film commissions of ASEAN, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The agenda will cover proposals for joint film productions and educational initiatives among the ASEAN countries.

Meanwhile, the nine-member board of the AFCNet will hold its board meeting on June 27. The AFCNet is the largest association of film commissions in the Asian region with 44 regular members and two associate members from 16 countries.

It was established in 2003 to strengthen the network of film commissions and location support organizations and to enhance the role of the Asian film industry as a major contributor to economic and cultural relations, not only among the member countries but also with traditional major markets such as the US and Europe.

FDCP Chairman Santos is the current vide-president of AFCNet when the present board was elected during the board meeting at Busan, South Korea in October 2010.

The AFCNet’s ASEAN Committee Secretariat office is currently based at the FDCP offices in Makati City.

According to Ms. Elaine Justine L. Aldaya, cultural and economic officer of the Oman embassy, the Filipiniana library is scheduled to be inaugurated on June 12 as part of their festivities for the 114th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine independence.

The 20 classic films are as follows:
Banaue, directed by National Artist Gerardo de Leon (1975); Sakada, directed by Behn Cervantes (1976); Jose Rizal, directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya (1998);

Bona, directed by National Artist Lino Brocka (1998); Karnal, directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya (1984); Gumapang Ka sa Lusak, directed by Lino Brocka (1990);

The Flor Contemplacion Story, directed by Joel Lamangan (1995); Bulaklak ng Maynila, directed by Joel Lamangan (1999); Abakada Ina, directed by Eddie Garcia (2001);

Aishite Imasu 1941, directed by Joel Lamangan (2004); Inang Yaya, directed by Pablo Biglang-Awa and Veronica Velasco (2006); Kubrador, directed by Jeffrey Jeturian (2006);

Kaleldo, directed by Brillante Mendoza (2006); Ploning, directed by Dante Nico Garcia (2008); Baler, directed by Mark Meily (2008);

Concerto, directed by Paul Alexander Morales (2008); Jay, directed by Francis Xavier Pasion (2009); Working Girls, directed by Jose Javier Reyes (2010); Noy, directed by Dondon S. Santos and Rodel Nacianceno (2010); and Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, directed by Marlon Rivera (2011).

As a cartoonist, Walt Disney was ahead of his time. Aside from his love of cartoons, he was also gifted with a good business sense. Admittedly, creating a cartoon is much difficult than filming an ordinary movie.

Creating a cartoon movie required a lot of effort. Drawn by hand, the frames denote the actions, not only of the character but of the entire frame. One second of the movie involved 24 frames so the 5 minutes of cartoon would need a ton of paperwork.

Founded in 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio evolved to The Walt Disney Studio and later on to Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. The company earned fame thru its cartoons.

After the premiere in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released in 1938. The success of Snow White encouraged Walt Disney Studio to come out with Pinocchio to be followed later by Fantasia.

In the 1980s, Walt Disney Studio specialized in feature animation. Mostly musicals, they also employed the computer-aided animation techniques. It was marked by their release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a movie which was partly animation.

The animated fairy tale series was started by The Little Mermaid in 1989. After 5 animation movies, the series was capped by The Lion King, touted to be the highest-grossing animated feature for an animated fairy tale in 1994.

In the year 2000, Walt Disney Feature Animation converted to CGI (computer-generated image) that did away with the traditional cartoon production. This resulted in a massive layoff of staff and disposal of traditional animation equipment.

In 2006, after years of being on the red (financial losses), Walt Disney purchased Pixar, the animation company behind the great success of Finding Nemo in 2003. It also spearheaded the successful Wall-E in 2008

Despite the newfound dominance in pure animation movies, Walt Disney still comes out with non-animation. Walt Disney’s non-animation movies are mostly musicals and with themes intended for children.

Walt Disney’s Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts

In 2011, Walt Disney released Prom, a non-animation for the younger generation and Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 for the children. There was also the success of The Pirates of Carribean: On Stranger Tides.

Back in 2009, Walt Disney Studios started filming John Carter, a science fiction action movie created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan. The action movie is about the inter-galactic adventures of the hero named John Carter.

John Carter is the debut of writer/director Andrew Stanton who also handled the successful Finding Nemo of Pixar and Wall-E. But this time, it’s a straight film (not animation). Co-writing the screenplay were Mark Andrews and Michael Chabon.

The cast is headed by Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris, Samantha Morton as Sola, Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas. Also in the cast are Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds and many others.

Adding figures to the budget, John Carter is a period film set in the 1800s. The hero is a gold prospector who accidentally meets a white Martian and eventually kills the alien. The alien’s device transports John Carter to Mars which they call planet Barsoom.

Being an earthman, John Carter’s physical strength is much superior than Martians. But despite having super power of sorts, he was captured and eventually got embroiled in the tribal wars in Barsoom.

The movie John Carter

Aside from the costumes and prosthetics, the filming of John Carter needed a good location that would fit the terrain of Mars. And the creatures also require careful and precise description to be credible enough.

In spite of the big budget and good promotional strategies, Walt Disney’s science fiction movie did not suit the taste buds of the moviegoers. Contrary to expectations, John Carter did not earn a good review from the critics.

John Carter received varied reviews from the critics. Rated 51% for positive versus negative, the science fiction movie was on even terms with the critics from the Americas and United Kingdom.

Shown in both 2D and 3D (Digital 3D and IMAX 3D) versions, John Carter showed box office strength abroad. However, it fared badly at the North American box office since it only grossed $184 million in the first 10 days of showing.

Media dubbed John Carter “the science-fiction megaflop.” Walt Disney Studios admitted the low revenue and even estimated that they may lose up to $200 million if the trend will not change for the better.

Win or lose, Walt Disney is bent on following up with a sequel. Hopefully, John Carter: The Gods of Mars will fare better next time. And to be sure, perhaps Walt Disney Studio should make it an animation movie.

Comments to this article can be sent to ajsocorro@yahoo.com

As of Friday, May 4, no script has been submitted yet though film projects intended for the filmfest have been reported. This include a film starring Bong Revilla, Vic Sotto and Ai-Ai de las Alas; a film starring Kris Aquino and Vice Ganda; and another Judy Ann Santos-Ryan Agoncillo starrer.

The requirements are as follows:

–A letter of intent from the producer regarding his/her intention to participate in the MMFFP 2012.

–A notarized form of application to participate. (Forms are available from the MMFFP secretariat of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the two major producers’ organizations.)

–Entry fee of P30,000 for a screenplay. This will be non-refundable even if the entry will not be chosen.

–The film producing outfit’s Securities and Exchange Commission registration, Department of Trade and Industry and Bureau of Investments papers.

–Written confirmation of the stars and directors as proof that they are participating in the film.

–Fourteen (14) copies of the screenplay.

–Notarized affidavit of the producer to attest to the following:
a) That the screenplay has never been submitted to any other film festival.
b) That the producer conforms with the rules and regulations governing the 2012 MMFFP with an understanding that he/she shall produce the movie based on the submitted screenplay, filmography and notarized form of application to participate once selected by the Selection Committee.

As decided by the Execom, eight films will be shown simultaneously starting from Christmas Day for this year’s MMFF-P.

All entries and their P30,000 filing fees must be submitted on or before May 23 (Wednesday) at the MMFF-P Secretariat, First Floor, MMDA Building, EDSA corner Orense St., Guadalupe, Makati City.

Your FEEDBACK can be posted at www.filmacademyphil.org/forum/

On its first year, the festival will feature 17 films from the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos Sri Lanka and Vietnam which were selected by their respective country’s embassies.

According to ASFPI’s Executive Director Harvey Keh, the two sponsoring organizations are optimistic that this festival would turn into an annual event, not just a five-day event but a weeklong schedule with more countries participating.

Keh said that film nowadays is used not only to educate, “but [also] to unite and hopefully create bonds of cooperation towards peace and development in this region.”

“We’d like to invite more Asian countries to take part in this film festival. I don’t think we have Middle East countries here right now, but hopefully they will also join. And together with our ASEAN neighbors like… I don’t think Malaysia and Thailand are also here. So we’d also like to get some films from them as we grow,” he said.

The Filipino films to be featured at the 1st Asian Film Festival are Halaw, directed by Sheron Dayoc and Dinig Sana Kita by Mike Sandejas.

The festival’s full screening schedule at the Shang Cineplex’s Cinema 4 are as follows:

May 17, Thursday

Dinig Sana Kita (Philippines, opening film) – 7:30 p.m.

May 18, Friday

3 DOA 3 CINTA (3 Wishes, 3 Loves, Indonesia) – 12:30 p.m.

Mua Oi La Saison des Gayaves” (The Guava House, Vietnam) – 3:00 p.m.
 Only Love (Laos) – 5:30 p.m.

Forever Enthralled (China) – 8:00 p.m.

May 19, Saturday

Agni Dahaya (Sri Lanka) – 12:30 p.m.

Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Troops, Indonesia) – 3:00 p.m.

Wanko – The Story of Me, My Family and My Dog – 5:30 p.m.

Hwang Jin Yin (South Korea) – 8:00 p.m.

May 20, Sunday

Thoung nho dong que (Nostalgia for Countryland, Vietnam) – 12:30 p.m.
 Eclair (Japan) – 3:00 p.m.

Speedy Scandal (South Korea) – 5:30 p.m.

The Founding of a Republic (China) – 8:00 p.m.

May 21, Monday

Glittering Day (China) – 12:30 p.m.

Deewari (Sri Lanka) – 3:00 p.m.

Jakarta Maghrib (Jakarta Twilight, Indonesia) – 5:30 p.m.

Halaw (Philippines) – 5:30 p.m.

Your FEEDBACK can be posted at www.filmacademyphil.org/forum/