Film Festival Celebrates Stories of PH National Heroes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Learn more about the Philippines’ colorful history and discover the stories of Filipino historical figures by watching biopics during the National Heroes Retrospective Film Festival. Organized by the Shangri-La Plaza in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Festival happens until June 22, 2019 at Shangri-La Plaza’s Red Carpet Cinema 4, which coincided with national hero Jose Rizal's 158th birth anniversary last June 19.

In celebration of Sandaan: the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema, six (6) films that champion different Philippine national heroes and their contributions to the country will be screened during the Festival. These are “Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos” directed by Sari Dalena and Kiri Dalena, “Ang Hapis at Himagsik ni Hermano Puli” directed by Gil Portes, “Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo” directed by Enzo Williams, “Jose Rizal” directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” and “Heneral Luna” directed by Jerrold Tarog.

The screening schedule is as follows:

Admission to the screening is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Government, Public Sectors Kick off Support for Athletes, Para Athletes in First-ever Unity Walk

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The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) joined forces Saturday, June 22 at the College of Science Oval in UP Diliman to stage a unity event among various sports sectors to prepare for the coming Southeast Asian Games later this year and the ASEAN Para Games in 2020.

Billed as Olympic Day and Lakad Para Atleta 2019, the event witnessed for the first time ever, a unity walk of abled body athletes walking side by side with para athletes to give life to the event theme,“Unity and Transformation Through Sports.” The event was highlighted by a torch relay that featured five pairs of Olympians and Paralympians traversing the 500-meter oval, symbolizing inclusiveness and equality for all.

The torch relay culminated in a cauldron lighting ceremony followed by the Lakad Para Atleta Legacy Walk participated in by athletes and non-athletes, including a huge group from Citi Philippines as key supporter of PPC and the Paralympic movement. After the walk, the Philippine Olympians Association turned over seedlings to the University of the Philippines to express their advocacy that sports can be used for the betterment of the environment.

Exhibitions and participative activities followed in arnis, skateboarding, athletics, karate, underwater hockey, petanque and parasports like Braille Chess, Wheelchair Racing, Wheelchair Basketball and Para Athletics entertained attendees. A Body Combat session conducted by Fitness First turned the event into a sports fair.

“We are overwhelmed by the show of support from our partners in the government and private sectors, especially Citi Philippines. This is a big push for our national athletes who will be competing for the country in the upcoming SEA Games this November and the ASEAN Para Games in January 2020!,” said PPC President Michael Barredo.

For his part, Citi Philippines CEO Aftab Ahmed said that by supporting the event, Citi Philippines is expressing its corporate commitment. “Para Athletes are truly an inspiration as they overcome the odds to achieve and excel with courage and determination. Today is an opportunity for us to become advocates of their cause, so that we can break down the perceptions around disability and push for inclusion and equality for all.”

Olympic Day is an annual global event of the Olympic Movement that promotes the sharing of the Olympic Ideals, its Olympic Day pillars of Move, Learn, and Discover and the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship, and Respect. The event was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games in June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris.


Around 3,000 people from all walks of life registered for the event.

TORCH BEARERS: (OLYMPIAN + PARALYMPIAN)

Elma Muros Posadas – Queen of Long Jump, 1984, 1996

Andy Avellana – Athletics, 2012

Roel Velasco – Boxing Bronze Medalist 1992

Ernie Gawilan – Swimming, 2016

Christine Jacob Sandejas – Swimming 1984

Jerrold Mangliwan – Wheelchair Racing, 2012

Stephan Fernandez – Taekwondo 1992

Josephine Medina – Table Tennis, Bronze Medalist, 2016

Sen. Freddie Webb – Basketball 1972

Adeline Ancheta-Dumapong – Para Powerlifting, Bronze Medalist, 2020

Friday Opening, No Split Screening: FDCP Releases Guidelines On Theatrical Release Of Films In PH

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Following several consultations with the film industry stakeholders and the public, the Film Development Council of the Philippines has released Memorandum Circular No. 2019-01 with Policies and Guidelines on the Theatrical Release of Films in Philippine Cinemas.

“This [Memorandum Circular] is the culmination of FDCP’s efforts to strengthen our industry practices and level the playing field for all our stakeholders - from film producers, to distributors, to our exhibitors, and even the audience - through a transparent and fair set of guidelines that addresses the gaps that have long plagued our industry when it comes to screening films in commercial theatres,” said FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño, who spearheaded meetings and dialogues regarding industry practices since she came to office in 2016. Following several formal consultations with producers, theatres, and distributors to draft the contents of the guidelines, a public consultation with stakeholders was also conducted last April 25, 2019 at the Cinematheque Centre Manila. Partner government agencies like DILG, MTRCB, DTI-EMB, and the Office of the Presidential Legal Counsel and Spokesperson were also part of the dialogues and have lent support to the development of the guidelines.

To push for Philippine cinema’s growth and development, new policies have been introduced via the MC which applies to both local and foreign films, including the switching of the theatrical release of local and foreign films nationwide from Wednesday to Friday to accommodate more potential moviegoers during the weekend. There will also be a minimum run-length of at least seven (7) days for every film booked for theatrical release, as well as a theater assignment guarantee for the first three (3) days to avoid movies from getting pulled out of cinemas.

Booked films will be assigned with “full screens” for the first three (3) days of their exhibition. This means there will be no screen splitting, or a double booking and exhibition for a single theatre screening.

A fair ratio for booked Filipino and foreign films should also be observed in regular playdates to give local films a higher chance of being seen by the audience.

To encourage watching local films at the cinemas among the youth, ticket prices for students of ages 18 years and below will now be priced at Two Hundred Pesos (P200.00) in Metro Manila and a maximum of One Hundred Fifty Pesos (P150.00) in provinces every Wednesdays.

Meanwhile, films that have been theatrically released should only be screened to other platforms in the country after a holdback period of one hundred fifty (150) days after its first day of exhibition to maximize the movies’ revenue opportunity in local cinemas.

After the full contents of the circular has been released in a national newspaper this June 25, the policies and guidelines will take effect fifteen (15) days thereafter.