Why is the Philippines still making bad films?
Summary
TLDRThe video script explores the evolution of the Filipino film industry, comparing it to the global entertainment landscape. It discusses the challenges faced by Filipino cinema, including marketability over creativity and the impact of taxes and piracy. The script highlights the success of other film industries like South Korea's Hallyu Wave, China's market influence, Bollywood's worldwide diaspora, and Nigeria's Nollywood. It emphasizes the potential for Filipino cinema to thrive by learning from these models, supporting local narratives, and leveraging the Filipino diaspora. The script also mentions initiatives like JuanFlix and the Academic Film Society, which aim to increase accessibility and industry connections for Filipino films.
Takeaways
- đ Viewers in America and the Philippines prefer non-Filipino content, particularly from Korea, the West, and Spain.
- đŹ South Korea's film industry evolved from making poor-quality films to becoming a global powerhouse through government strategy and financial backing.
- đ The global film industry is diversifying, with markets like India, China, and Nigeria emerging as significant players, challenging Hollywood's dominance.
- đ The success of countries like China and India in the film industry is attributed to leveraging their large audiences and creating distinctive, culturally resonant content.
- đ 'Parasite' and 'Squid Game' are examples of South Korea's deliberate strategy to grow its entertainment industry, which includes financial backing and a screen quota law.
- đĄ The script suggests that the Filipino film industry's reliance on romcom genres and Hollywood's approval may be limiting its potential for success.
- đž Financial challenges, including taxes and revenue sharing, have historically constrained the growth and risk-taking of Filipino filmmakers.
- đ The script highlights the potential of the Filipino diaspora in supporting and growing the Filipino film industry, both domestically and internationally.
- đœïž The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is taking steps to improve accessibility to Filipino films and support the industry through initiatives like JuanFlix.
- đ± There is a growing demand for high-quality, well-written Filipino stories, as evidenced by the success of films like 'Deleter' at the Metro Manila Film Festival.
Q & A
What is the current global trend in the film industry regarding non-Hollywood films?
-The film industry is becoming less Hollywood-centered and more global, with markets like India, China, and Nigeria challenging Hollywood's dominance and creating new pathways for cultural storytelling.
How did South Korea's film industry overcome its past challenges to become successful?
-South Korea overcame challenges by using spoofs and unlicensed remakes to learn from others, implementing a screen quota law, financial backing from large companies, and investing in original screenplays, leading to the Hallyu Wave.
What strategies have been employed by China to influence Hollywood and its own film industry?
-China has leveraged its massive market size to influence Hollywood by limiting foreign film screenings and boosting domestic production through social media and e-commerce.
How has Bollywood managed to become an established film industry?
-Bollywood has engaged its worldwide diaspora, increased accessibility via streaming platforms, and developed a distinctive style with elaborate musical numbers and melodrama.
What is Nigeria's strategy that has made it the world's second-largest film industry by volume?
-Nigeria has focused on relatable local stories and innovative distribution networks with a 'high volume, low budget' strategy, leading to the creation of Nollywood.
What are the common perceptions of Filipino cinema and how do they impact the industry?
-Filipino cinema is often perceived as 'baduy' or lame, with a focus on 'love teams' and romcom genres, which can limit its storytelling potential and audience appeal.
How has the Philippine government historically impacted the film industry through taxation?
-In the 90s, the Philippine government required a 30% amusement tax, which was reduced to 10% in 2009, impacting the industry's revenue and ability to take risks on innovative projects.
What changes have been observed in the Filipino audience's preferences and how might they affect the industry?
-The 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival showed a shift in audience preferences towards non-traditional comedy, indicating a potential demand for diverse and well-produced Filipino stories.
What steps is the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) taking to improve the industry?
-The FDCP is working on improving accessibility to Filipino films through platforms like JuanFlix, fostering industry connections through film festivals, and advocating for tax relief for local productions.
How does the support of the Filipino diaspora play a role in the success of Filipino films?
-The Filipino diaspora can support filmmakers through an online presence, which can lead to consistent high revenue and influence the quality of future films produced.
What is the vision for the future of Filipino cinema according to the script?
-The vision for the future of Filipino cinema is to create its own path, honor its stories and talents, and ensure that all Filipino voices around the world are heard, without needing Hollywood's validation.
Outlines
đ Global Entertainment Shift and Filipino Cinema's Identity
The video script discusses the current global entertainment landscape, where viewers from America and the Philippines show a preference for non-Filipino films, especially Korean, Western, and Spanish. It highlights the transformation of the South Korean film industry from making low-quality films to becoming a global powerhouse through government strategies and financial backing. The script also explores the success of other film industries like China, India, and Nigeria, which have challenged Hollywood's dominance. It questions the state of Filipino cinema, suggesting that it may be limited by a focus on romantic-comedy genres and seeking Hollywood's approval. The video introduces the host, Leo Albea, and sets the stage for a discussion on how Filipino cinema can redefine itself and find success in the global market.
đ Challenges and Opportunities for Filipino Cinema
This paragraph delves into the challenges faced by the Filipino film industry, including high amusement taxes, piracy, and censorship issues that have historically affected its growth. It discusses how these factors have led to a decrease in film production and a reliance on formulaic, low-risk movies. The script also touches on the impact of these challenges on the Filipino audience's tastes and preferences. It mentions the 2020 pandemic and how it affected the industry, with a shift in audience preferences being noted during the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival. The paragraph emphasizes the need for funding, manpower, and a change in the industry's approach to storytelling. It also highlights the efforts of One Down, an independent Filipino media company, in supporting Filipino filmmakers and stories to reach a wider audience, both in the Philippines and the diaspora.
đ Revitalizing Filipino Cinema through Innovation and Support
The final paragraph outlines the steps being taken by the Filipino film industry to revitalize itself. It discusses the importance of accessibility, with initiatives like JuanFlix and the Philippine Film Vault making local films available to the global Filipino audience. The paragraph also highlights the value of industry connections through film festivals and the establishment of the Academic Film Society. It mentions the potential benefits of a temporary pause on the amusement tax for local productions, as suggested by government officials. The script concludes with a call to action for supporting local Filipino movies, emphasizing the importance of representation and the potential for the industry to regain its past glory and make a significant impact on the global stage.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄFilipino Cinema
đĄHollywood
đĄHallyu Wave
đĄCultural Storytelling
đĄDiaspora
đĄScreen Quota Law
đĄAmusement Tax
đĄGolden Age of Filipino Cinema
đĄIndie Films
đĄFilm Festivals
đĄDigital Age
Highlights
Viewers in America and the Philippines prefer non-Filipino films, particularly Korean, Western, and Spanish.
South Korea's film industry evolved from making poor-quality films to becoming a global powerhouse.
The global film industry is becoming less Hollywood-centered, with markets like India, China, and Nigeria emerging.
Filipino cinema's current state is questioned, with a possible fixation on romcom genres and Hollywood's approval.
The potential for Filipino diaspora to influence the success of Filipino movies is discussed.
Korean entertainment's success is attributed to government strategy and financial backing.
China uses its market size to influence Hollywood and boost its domestic film production.
Bollywood's success is linked to engaging its worldwide diaspora and a distinctive film style.
Nollywood's strategy of high volume and low budget has made Nigeria the world's second-largest film industry by volume.
Filipino cinema has a rich history, with a Golden Age in the 1950s to 1980s, producing exceptional films.
The greenlighting process in the Philippines often prioritizes marketability over well-written stories.
Financial challenges and high taxes have impacted the Filipino film industry's ability to take risks.
The 2020 pandemic saw a shift in Filipino audience preferences, with a demand for higher quality local films.
Filipino filmmakers are taking note of global success models and making efforts to improve the industry.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is working to improve accessibility to Filipino films.
Industry connections and participation in film festivals are helping Filipino films gain global recognition.
Protecting filmmakers through tax relief and support is being considered to boost the domestic film industry.
The future of Filipino cinema is about creating its own path and honoring its stories and talents.
Supporting local Filipino movies is crucial for establishing a strong foundation in the global film industry.
Transcripts
In both America and the Philippines,
viewers would rather watch everything but Filipino,
especially Korean, Western and Spanish films.
While viewers today can agree
that they watch and adore K-content,
South Korea itself used to make pretty terrible films.
It took them multiple spoofs
and unlicensed remakes of Hong Kong
and American movies for them
to finally realize what they do best.
The film industry today is becoming way
less Hollywood centered and beginning to go global.
Massive markets
like India, China, and even Nigeria
are challenging Hollywood's dominance
and creating new pathways for cultural storytelling.
Where does Filipino cinema stand
in this new world of entertainment?
Are Filipino stories being limited by a fixation on
romcom genres, Hollywood's approval,
or is it something deeper?
And can the answer for Filipino movie success actually
lay in the hands of our own Filipino diaspora?
I'm Leo Albea,
and this is One Down where we redefine Filipino.
âItâs corny.â
âOur cinema is dying.â
â...And how it's coming back to life.â
âParasiteâ winning an Oscar
and âSquid Gameâ becoming a
Netflix phenomenon aren't flukes,
but rather an accumulation of trial and errors,
leading to the powerhouse that is Korean entertainment.
But for South Korea
to actively grow its domestic
film industry in the 1990s,
they had to overcome three decades
of Japanese occupationâs strict censorship of
Korean-speaking films,
three years under US military government
influencing Hollywood style films,
and a recession following the Korean War.
From the Bruceploitation and raunchy movie eras
came the birth of the Hallyu Wave:
K-Pop, K-Drama, and K-Cinema,
which are the result
of a deliberate government strategy
to improve their economic status.
Through the financial backing
of large companies like Samsung
and the Korean Film Council system,
their cinemas started to follow a screen quota law,
where they have to play a set amount
of Korean films per year.
KOFIC also runs an online screenplay market
to easily access fresh and original concepts
of different genres.
Every year they invest about $8.9 million
to stabilize the Korean film industry.
China, the world's most populous country,
has leveraged its massive market size
to influence Hollywood directly.
Chinese audiences have become so crucial
that Hollywood now tailors its blockbusters
to appeal to them.
How?
By limiting foreign film screenings
to only 34 each year
and boosting its domestic production
through social media and e-commerce.
The result?
China's fifth highest-grossing film of all time,
âThe Wandering Earthâ, earned $700 million globally.
Then, there's India.
By engaging their massive worldwide diaspora
to increase accessibility
via streaming platforms
and developing a distinctive style,
think elaborate musical numbers and melodrama,
Bollywood has become an established film industry,
producing around 1000 films annually.
Films like â3 Idiotsâ grossing over $90 million worldwide
shows the power of this approach.
And finally, we have Nigeria.
They've become the world's
second largest film industry by volume,
with a âhigh volume, low budgetâ strategy.
By focusing on relatable local stories
and creating innovative distribution networks,
they've built Nollywood.
An example of this thriving success is
âThe Wedding Partyâ
being one of the highest-grossed Nigerian films,
making $11.5 million.
These countries have shown that success
in the global entertainment industry
doesn't require Hollywoodâs stamp of approval.
By harnessing their audience's purchasing power
and creating compelling content,
they force the industry
to take their stories seriously.
So with these models at our disposal,
is the Filipino film industry taking notes?
When we think of Filipino movies,
the words âbaduyâ or lame
and âlove teamsâ come to mind.
But it's hard to accept its current state
when Philippine film history proves us different.
From the pioneer JosĂ© Nepomucenoâs
âDalagang Bukidâ in 1919 all the way to
1950s until the 80s, renowned as the
Golden Age of Filipino Cinema,
where the likes of Lino Brocka,
Ishmael Bernal,
Mike de Leon,
Peque Gallaga,
and Manuel Conde, to name a few,
directed and produced exceptional films
that represented not only the voices
of Filipinos during their time,
but also displayed our artistic potential
in motion pictures.
Yet too often,
the process of greenlighting scripts
depends on its marketability.
It's the business side
that makes producers prioritize
sequels, prequels, and remakes
over actually well-written stories.
We can't ignore that the exhausting replay
of the unrequited love,
cheater-mistress,
and enemies to lovers
tropes are what attract numbers for now,
but don't incentivize out of the box storytelling.
Without a track record of box office success,
it's harder to secure significant budgets
or wide releases.
So what made it difficult?
In the 90s, the Philippine government required
a 30% amusement tax,
and it was until 2009 when the tax went down to 10%.
But with the rise of the digital age,
piracy, and censorship issues,
Filipino filmmakers still depend a lot on ticket revenue,
creating pressure for a movie to do well in cinemas.
As movie producer Joji Alonso explains,
for a film that earns P100 million,
10% would go to the local government unit or LGU
as an amusement tax, but it doesn't end there.
The producer would still have to split
the 45% to the cinema owner,
12% for value-added tax (VAT),
and 5 to 20% to the distributor.
So if the revenue doesn't triple the budget
it took to make it,
the low profit made filmmakers scared of taking risks.
This hurdle led the industry to churn out
350 movies to only 50 movies per year,
with investors funding cheesy
and formulaic movies
that the public masses would easily consume.
This is the same reason why cinemas
would rather play international blockbuster films,
and rarely leave a slot for a local one.
This has greatly affected
the Filipino audience
in terms of consumer tastes and preference.
If the cinemas don't push real Filipino narratives,
our biases become skewed.
As director Pepe Diokno summarizes
it in his TEDx Talks,
âWhen you watch films from, say Hollywood,â
âyour perception of the world becomesâ
âaccording to the way Hollywood dictates.â
âThat's why we have a pretty twisted culture,â
âbecause we don't know-â
âWe don't have a formation of what our identity is.â
During the 2020 pandemic,
Director Erik Matti also tweeted a controversial take
about the Filipino audience
preferring Korean entertainment
than supporting our own:
âThe daily top ten most viewed on Netflixâ
âshows us how our movies and TVâ
âare doomed in the future.â
âFaux Cinderella stories with belofiedâ
âactors whiter than white.â
With negative replies to his opinion,
a lot of Filipinos defended
that Korean dramas are not just about love.
Korean stories portray depth,
unlike the poor quality mainstream movies
we've had the past couple of years.
A noticeable change in the Filipino audience began
during the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival,
where Vice Gandaâs film entry âPartners in Crimeâ,
wasn't a usual box office winner.
In fact, it was Mikhail Redâs âDeleterâ
that top-grossed over P500 million.
Director and FDCP Chairman Jose Javier Reyes
points out,
âThe market who spends money for the festivalâ
âwas no longer the masses who lovedâ
âa good old traditional comedy.â
This one example alone shows the change in behavior
in the Filipino audience.
What if they want more than romcoms
and demand highly-produced
and well written Filipino stories?
It raises the need for funding and more manpower.
When it comes to Filipino representation in America,
One Down has actually supported many of the filmmakers
and stories to hit the big screen.
We've interviewed, featured,
and marketed movies from Jo Koyâs âEaster Sundayâ,
Dante Basco's âThe Fabulous Filipino Brothersâ,
to âLingua Francaâ on Netflix.
We've helped independent filmmakers
fund their projects from âNurse Unseenâ,
which is soon going on its theatrical run,
to executive producing âThe Master Chiefâ,
which is now on Apple TV.
But we also helped the Philippines market in America.
Like Liza Soberano in âLisa Frankensteinâ,
DonBelle for âAn Inconvenient Loveâ,
and Janella Salvador with âMallariâ.
Within our team,
we have over 3 billion organic views under our belt,
and we want to use this experience to support work
that benefits the Filipino community.
So if you, your business,
your brand, or your creative project
are looking to deeply reach
the Filipino American and global Filipino diaspora,
we'd love to talk!
Check out our website here
on how to work with us
and learn more about our program,
the Filipino Audience Growth Accelerator,
on how we can connect you with the Filipino community.
At present,
the Filipino film industry
seems to finally be taking action.
While we undeniably find mainstream films profitable,
the Film Development Council of the Philippines,
or FDCP,
together with the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts,
and native filmmakers,
have made remarkable efforts to value
and highlight our independent films.
One, accessibility.
One of the biggest challenges
of Filipino cinephiles around the world
is the accessibility to watch our local movies.
Strict piracy and limited indie screenings
have left over 10 million Filipinos living abroad
blindsided to Filipino film classics.
Other than Netflix, Prime Video,
and MUBI increasing their collection,
FDCP created a dedicated streaming platform
called JuanFlix,
which holds our national film treasures such as
âManila in the Claws of Lightâ,
âGenghis Khanâ,
and âInsiangâ,
now available to watch online.
Chair and CEO Jose Javier Reyes
further shares good news
that they have the Philippine Film Vault
which houses many surviving old Filipino films
and continues to restore more.
In 2023, FDCP also created the Academic Film Society,
a network of filmmakers and students
who held a convention in September to commemorate
the anniversary of the Filipino film industry.
If the Filipino diaspora has more exposure
to Filipino narratives,
we're able to support our filmmakers
through a staggering online presence.
Imagine if the high revenue is consistent.
This will dictate the future quality films weâll produce.
Number two, industry connections.
Our works have been acknowledged
on the global stage
through film festivals from local ones like MMFF,
Cinemalaya, or QCinema,
to its international counterparts such as
Cannes Film Festival,
Sundance Film Festival,
and Soho International Film Festival,
which all serve as an opportunity
to connect young and experienced filmmakers alike
and spotlight talented Filipino actors.
This domino effect of recognition prompted
the very first Manila International Film Festival,
held in Hollywood
last January of 2024,
another golden opportunity for
film industry representatives to meet.
Purin Pictures, a Bangkok-based film funding event
that started in 2017 as a collaborative effort
to help Southeast Asian film industries
achieve international success,
awarded the Philippines
three out of four production grants
during the Spring 2024 round.
Three, protecting filmmakers.
Last January, FDCP President Tirso Cruz III
met Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos
to discuss challenges in the movie industry.
Abalos suggested a temporary pause
of the 10% amusement tax to local productions,
while foreign films would still have to pay,
appealing to the need of raising funds
to stabilize our domestic productions.
A month after, the Metro Manila Council
approved the notion
for the next three years as a start.
This good news could serve as launching pads,
building top-notch productions,
and promoting Filipino stories
that can compete universally.
By focusing on this progress,
the future of Filipino cinema
doesn't lie in chasing Hollywood's validation.
It's about creating our own path,
honoring our stories and talents,
and realizing that films are important.
It impacts not just our economic status,
but also globally impacts the Filipino audience.
Director Pepe Diokno proves this sentimental point:
âItâs important for us to see ourselves on the big screen.â
âItâs important for us because thatâs our projection ofâ
âwho we are and who we want to be.â
By supporting local Filipino movies first
gives us a strong foundation,
and once we fully mark our presence on the world stage,
we can then ensure that all Filipino voices
around the world will be heard
loud and clear.
In this new era of universal storytelling,
we don't need to be the next âPinoywoodâ.
We can celebrate the Golden Age of Cinema
that thrived in the past,
while we, as a collective effort,
are able to claim it back
once and for all.
Thanks for watching!
We are One Down,
an independent Filipino media company.
We work to make content like this
accessible to everyone,
but producing it isn't free.
If you want to support our mission,
please subscribe to our YouTube channel
and follow us on Instagram!
We call this simple ask our âKapwa Codeâ.
Your support means everything to us
and if you want to work with us again,
follow the link here to check out our website
and learn more about our
Filipino Audience Growth Accelerator.
Thank you and we'll see you in the next video.
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