Cinema Rehiyon 6 to display a ‘filmmaking harvest’

There is talent if you know where to look. Cinema Rehiyon's purpose is to try and bring these to the Philippine public's awareness.

Cinema Rehiyon is the flagship project of the National Committee on Cinema of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in celebration of the Philippine Arts Festival. This year's theme is “Filming the Frontiers.”

Now on its sixth year, the annual film festival exhibiting the talents and stories of the Philippine regions will be held in Cagayan de Oro City starting February 18 up to 22. The venues are Xavier University Little Theater and SM City Cinemas 3 and 4.
 
Opening the festival is Gerry de Leon’s “Banaue,” which topbilled singing sensation Nora Aunor and newcomer Christopher de Leon.  The featured film for its closing program is Eddie Romero’s award-winning “Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon,” which starred Christopher de Leon again along with beauty titlist Gloria Diaz and veteran Eddie Garcia.

“In accordance to the Philippine Arts Festival Theme, Kasing-Sining Art on the Edge, Art with a Heart, Cinema Rehiyon 6 features film making frontiers that have themes that could give positive impacts and transforms lives for the better,” explained the organizers in a statement.

Indeed, Cinema Rehiyon has come a long, long way.
 
Rudolph Ian Alama, the curator of Mindanao film program, said of filmmaking in and about Mindanao: “These are exciting times indeed for the regional filmmaking movement here in Mindanao. Natural calamities such as (typhoons) Sendong and Pablo and civil disturbances such as the Zamboanga siege has failed to dampen the growth of Mindanao regional cinema.”
 
According to Alama, 36 films from Mindanao—including full-length movies, short films, and documentaries—will be shown during the Cinema Rehiyon 6.
 
A harvest of filmmaking

The movies showcased throughout the entire festival “will educate the community about disaster risk reduction and management, climate change, environmental protection and preservation, rebuilding lives and communities, and cultural solidarity and understanding.”
 
The organizers further expounded on the theme thus: “There is a filmmaking harvest in the regions that forwards the stories, aspirations, voice and experiences that are richly layered with cultural identity, local lore, local color, truths, struggles, and marginalization.”
 
“These are captured through the lens of our regional film makers whose works are worthy of audience’s attention for awareness, understanding and solidarity—peace,” it added.

The first and second Cinema Rehiyon—where alternative films were the focus—were held in the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Both events reportedly “brought confidence and pride to the regional film makers because they shared successfully their stories not only among themselves but also with the community.”
 
Most of the entries came from Bacolod, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Naga, and Northern Mindanao.
 
When Cinema Rehiyon 3—with the theme “Films from the Other Philippines”—was held in Davao in 2011, there were already entries from Bohol, Calabarzon, Pampanga, Pangasinan, and Samar.
 
“This was the first time the festival was brought to the region as it is true to its concept of forging Philippine cinediversity,” the organizers said. “The Davao leg focused on looking at the films as specimens of understanding multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-cultural facets.”
 
Cinema Rehiyon 4—the theme of which was “Empowering Regional Cinema”—was held at Bacolod and was titled Bacollywood.  The most recent one with the theme, “Nurturing Cinemas of Home,” was hosted by Los Baños in Laguna.
 
Schedules

Films will be screened for three days, grouped according to the major island groups of the Philippine archipelago: Mindanaon films on February 18 from 1 to 9 p.m.; Visayan films on February 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Luzon films on February 21 from 10 a.m. up to 6 p.m. All the films will be shown at SM City, Cinemas 3 and 4.
 
In addition, Cinemulat Films from the three island groups will be shown at the Xavier University Little Theater from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Mindanao on February 19, Visayas on February 20, and Luzon on February 21.
 
A mixed program of films, called Crossing Regions, will be exhibited at the Xavier University Little Theater on February 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. and then on February 22 at XM City Cinema 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. — VC, GMA News