Thoughts on Cinemalaya

I like movies.

I've never been enrolled in any sort of formal school or institution teaching film. My teacher has always been the movies I've watched. I've enjoyed some, I've hated some, and I've ignored a lot more. I've seen them in all shapes and sizes, tackling all kinds of subject matter (and in some cases, nothing at all.) So all these words come from an average moviegoer who likes to watch movies - a member of the moviegoing masses.

Recent events have led me to think about true freedom in filmmaking. I am left to ask about what it means for filmmaking to be a collaborative process, and how much power the producers and the director of the film (if you believe in auteur theory) have over the final product. But as a member of the audience, the bottom line for me is, I want to see the finished film. What is art without an audience, even if created to speak for itself?

Also, I'm happy that there are other fresh perspectives being offered in this year's festival. I've always thought that a wide variety of viewpoints about Philippine life is one of the strengths of any film festival.

I stumble across things like this sometimes. While as valid a piece of film criticism as any, I paused at the last few words:

Sa aking palagay, walang tunay na independent na pananaw ito sa isang iniluwal ng “indie cinema.”  Napapanahon na rin sigurong ibuyanyang kung tunay nga bang independent ang namamayagpag na indie cinema sa kasalukuyan.

(In my view, there is no true independent perspective for [this film] to something from "indie cinema." It may be time to perhaps show if contemporary indie cinema is truly independent. -paraphrased)

 hmm...

I want to believe that independent cinema means that anyone can make a film, regardless of who they are. I want to believe that it means you can make a film about whatever you want. And I want to believe that it means it can easily reach people who want to watch films. People like me. Independent cinema is freedom, and that in my opinion is the only thing that can be attached to it. There are no labels you can attach as to its theme or what it should or should not depict. That's pretentious.

But like freedom in general, no one is truly free. But I'd like to think that art should be free. Fuck me, right?

Any kind of "superiority" gleaned by a film just because it tackles subjects from a particular societal viewpoint is imaginary. As long as a film can convey its basic themes and emotions, it's valid. Everyone can love, cry, grieve, or hate. Hell, we loved ET and WALL-E, and those things weren't even human.

Besides, this is Cinemalaya, not "Shet Ang Hirap Hirap Ko The Film Festival."

I made this in five minutes using paint. Don't judge me. FUCK YOU GUYS.

In closing, I'd like to end with this piece by Patricia Evangelista. I may not agree with all of it, but her point is, films are films. In the end, regardless of how they are made, we can choose to enjoy them or not. Sometimes I may want to think about my place in life, or my status as a member of society. Or sometimes I just want to watch a movie about an insane dude fapping to Yua Aida on a deserted island.

I'd fap to Yua Aida too, to be perfectly honest.

I'm still going to be watching films after I post this, until I can't. Bite me.

See you guys next year!