Film

A Film is defined to be a series of images in motion as displayed visually, accompanied

by sound which tells and expresses a story as a whole. As defined also by Balazs (1970), films

possess a greater influence on the minds of the general public in comparison to any kind of art

form. The way that a film is able to sway and affect the perspectives of many is truly astounding.

Films started out crudely without any audio at all, but as times have progressed the

development of film also brought in the introduction of sounds. But even without the element of

audio, “silent films”, as we call it, is considered to be highly innovative and influential during its

time. The idea of having a set of pictures moving as seen by the viewers all the while narrating

or showing a certain plotline and story is very eye-catching and enticing. The first ever

commercial film or movie was released way back 1895, which just featured regular mundane

scenes of a day in a life of an average person. After 10 – 12 years of the invention of film, a new

kind of language has surfaced which was dubbed to be a “visual” language. Time progressed

and the art of film itself has modernized itself throughout the years. Eventually various genres

have been introduced, and various cultures and subcultures were immersed into this genre to

captivate audiences with unique story-telling techniques. Film makers started out with piecing

strips of pictures to demonstrate a moving motion of a person riding a horse. In comparison to

what it is today, the art of film making certainly has grown significantly and abundantly.

Third Cinema

All films are political, but films are not all political in the same way (Wayne M., 2001).

Even the most mainstream of genres contain a sliver of politics embedded into its art form. It

may or may not be easy to notice, but the remnants and hints of politics would always be within

film and movies. The most sophisticated body of political films are coined as “Third Cinema”.

This has emerged during the 1960s and the 1970s, and is also a shortened term for “Third

World Cinema”. During its emergence it was also emphasized that the Third Cinema is not
defined by geography, but rather by socialist politics. Obviously, the idea of third cinema is bold

in itself, which will inevitably lead to backlash from its critics and opposition. Third Cinema is

founded on the belief that politics encompass everything, and the underlying message of politics

should be emphasized. The art had encountered difficulties such as the demand for it to be as

part of an institution of public service and to be owned by the nation and the government. If

either theory were to materialize and succeed, the purpose of the Third Cinema will be defeated

and will no longer be in existence. Because of the messages being relayed by this film was

outrageous, dismissive suspicion from First World criticism has been going on. But regardless of

all that, the art form of the Third Cinema maintains its purpose and identity throughout the

transition of time. Third Cinema is aimed towards state oppression, and neo-revolutionism and

on how it negatively impacts the society of third world environments. Because of its portrayal of

events, the artistry of the film is often questioned regarding its morality, ethicality, and even its

artistry on some cases. Elitists and supremacists also challenge the message of the third

cinema films, especially if their stand and power are the ones targeted by the crosshairs of such

films.

Third Cinema in the Philippines

The Philippines, being a third world country with a long-standing history of oppression

and state revolutionism, has its own share of Third Cinema films. One of the most notable ones

would be the “Perfumed Nightmare” which was written and directed by the world renowned

Kidlat Tahimik. What’s more prominent in the works of Kidlat is that his films share a glimmer of

hope at the end of the day. While most third cinema films bask in the ugliness of politics, Kidlat

remains to shed a light to signify that there is still hope left for his nation. Some of his other

remarkable works include “Balikbayan #1: Memories of Overdevelopment Redux (2015)”,

“Japanese Summers of a Filipino Fundoshi (1996)”, “Why is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?

(1983-1994)”, “Orbit 50. Letters to my 3 Sons (1990 – 1992)”, “Turumba (1983)”, and “Who
Invented the Yoyo? Who Invented the Moon Buggy? (1979)”. The archipelago of Philippine

cinema has always flourished with talent and creativity, although the resources and the aid it

deserved never sufficed. Young talent would always emerge with fresh minds and ideas, sadly

the proper guidance and resources that could have propelled them into a better platform is non-

existent. The message being relayed in these films, are still happening within the Philippines.

The dominating class of the elitists have everything below them on a chokehold. The Philippines

is a democratic country but the problem with democracy is the misinformation holds just the

same weigh in comparison to the more accurate and relevant ones. But still, this did not hinder

the emergence of the creative minds of various filmmakers as well as third cinema films that still

hold relevance up to this day. Philippine politics remain to be a big influence on the Philippine

film industry, and those who decide to capture the current situation of the country is walking

prudently to avoid serious backlash over the films that they make.
REFERENCES:

 Aitken, S. C., & Zonn, L. E. (Eds.). (1994). Place, power, situation and spectacle:

A geography of film. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

 Balázs, B. (1970). Theory of the Film; Character and Growth of a New Art.

 Bordwell, D., Thompson, K., & Smith, J. (1993). Film art: An introduction (Vol. 7).

New York: McGraw-Hill.

 Cook, D. A. (2016). A history of narrative film. WW Norton & Company.

 Gabriel, T. H. (1989). Third cinema as guardian of popular memory: towards a

third aesthetics. Questions of third cinema, 53-64.

 Helminski, A. A. (2000). Memories of a Revolutionary Cinema. Senses of

Cinema, 2, 1-15.

 Lumbera B., (2000) Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa

 O'Brien, M. W. (2019). Third Cinema in the United States, 1960-67 (Doctoral

dissertation).

 Palis, J. (2008). Cinema archipelago: A geography of Philippine film and the

postnational imaginary.

 Perkins, V. F. (1972). Film as Film; Understanding and Judging Movies.

 Sen, S. (2020). Recovering Indian Third Cinema practice: a study of the 1970s

films of Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, and Satyajit Ray (Doctoral dissertation,

University of St. Andrews).

 Sison, A. (2016). Perfumed Nightmare and Negative Experiences of Contrast:

Third Cinema as Filmic Interpretation of Schillebeeck. Journal of Religion &

Film, 6(1), 3. (Thesis)
 Stollery, M. (2002). Another Look at Third Cinema. Historical Journal of Film,

Radio and Television, 22(2), 205-208.