FILM

A film, also called a movie or a motion picture, is a series of still photographs on
film projected onto a screen using light in rapid succession.

HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE FILM

The youngest of the Philippine arts, film has evolved to become the most popular
of all the art forms. Introduced only in 1897, films have ranged from silent movies
to talkies; black and white to color. Outpacing its predecessors by gaining public
acceptance, from one end of the country to the other, its viewers come from all
walks of life. Nationwide, there are more than 1000 movie theaters. Early in the
1980s, it was estimated in Metro Manila alone, there were around 2.5 million
moviegoers. As an art form, it reflects the culture and the beliefs of the people it
caters to and most times, is the one who shapes their consciousness.

THE 1930’s AND 1940’s PHILIPPINE FILMS

The film industry in the Philippines began in 1919 through the initiative of foreign
entrepreneurs. Two Swiss entrepreneurs introduced film shows in Manila in 1897
and silent films in 1903. Jose Nepumuceno was the first Filipino to make a film,
based on a musical play by Hemogenes Ilagan and Leon Ignacio. Capital was
needed to keep up with the Hollywood industry, but it was difficult to match
Hollywood style with the meager capital set aside for the developing film industry.
Ironically, the same people who helped the film industry develop as a form of
expression suppressed it. Early Philippine films were based on traditional theater
forms, such as sarswelas. The sinakulo was the root of the conventional Filipino
melodrama, with the Virgin Mary becoming the "all-suffering, all-forgiving Filipino
Mother" and Jesus being the "savior of societies under threat and the redeemer
of all those who have gone wrong". By the 1930s, some film artists and producers
dared to comment on sociopolitical issues, such as Julian Manansala's film Patria
Amore, which was almost suppressed due to its anti-Spanish sentiments.

WARTIME FILMS AND ITS EFFECT ON THE PHILIPPINE FILMS

The Japanese Occupation of 1941 brought havoc to the film industry, with the
Japanese bringing their own films to show to Filipino audiences. Local filmmakers
were hired to make propaganda pictures, such as The Dawn of Freedom and
Tatlong Maria. Despite the destruction and hardships of the war, the people found
time for entertainment and turned to live theater, which provided alternative jobs
for displaced movie folk. This period was beneficial to the theater industry, as
movie stars, directors and technicians returned to the stage. In 1945, the
Philippine film industry emerged as a genre of war movies with soldiers and
guerillas as protagonists. Movies such as Garrison 13, Dugo ng Bayan, Walang
Kamatayan, and Guerilyera told the stories of the war. However, World War II had
left other traces on the Filipino's imagination and sense of reality.

The 1950s to 1970s The Golden Age of Philippine Films

The 1950s were a time of "rebuilding and growth" for the Filipino film industry.
Two studios before the war, Sampaguita Pictures and LVN, reestablished
themselves and churned out movie after movie to make up for the drought
caused by the war. This was the period of the "Big Four" when the industry
operated under the studio system. Critics now clarify that the 50s may be
considered a "Golden Age" for the Filipino film not because film content had
improved but because cinematic techniques achieved an artistic breakthrough.
Awards were established in the decade, such as the Maria Clara Awards and the
FAMAS Awards. These awards established the Philippines as a major filmmaking
center in Asia and finally garnered Filipino films their share of attention from
fellow Filipinos.

Films during Martial Law

Ferdinand Marcos placed the nation under martial rule in 1972 to contain growing
unrest caused by the youth revolt of the 1960s. To win the population over, mass
media was enlisted in the service of the New Society, which was supposed to
represent discipline, uprightness and love of country. The government tried to
control the film industry while keeping it in "good humor", but the exploitation of
sex and violence onscreen continued to assert itself. Action films depicting shoot
outs and sadistic fistfights often append an epilogue claiming that the social
realities depicted had been wiped out with the establishment of the New Society.
Martial Law declared in 1972 clamped down on bomba films and political movies
critical of the Marcos administration. This led to the rise of young directors such as
Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Celso Ad. Castillo, who produced works that
portrayed revolt, labor unionism, social ostracism and class division. Additionally,
the requirement of a script prior to filming was introduced, which caused the film
industry to pay attention to the content of a projected film production. Talents in
literature found their way into filmmaking.

FILM AFTER MARTIAL LAW

Kidlat Tahimik's 1977 film Mababangong Bangungot won the International Critic's
Prize in Berlin, defining the distance between mainstream cinema and
independent cinema. Young filmmakers such as Nick Deocampo and Raymond Red
are examples of "alternative filmmakers" who are exposed to art films without the
compromises of commercial filmmaking.