INDEPENDENT producers of an official Metro Manila Film Festival entry are calling for protection of “smaller players” after their film was withdrawn from 34 theaters on the first day of the festival.
“Nilalang,” an action-horror flick starring Cesar Montano and Japanese actress Maria Ozawa, was slated to screen in 40 theaters on the opening day of the festival, which ran from Dec. 25, 2015 to Jan. 2, 2016.
By Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015 the film was being screened at only three cinemas.
“If we really want to do more movies in the future, how can we do it if most of the theater owners won’t support [us]?” said Pedring Lopez, director of “Nilalang.”
The film received accolades for its technical aspects, and won five awards for Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Design and Best Musical Score
After “Nilalang” was pulled from cinemas, a number of users took to Twitter calling for the movie to be screened with #DemandforNilalang. Some asked how they could be screened at six theaters after winning five awards.
On Friday, Jan. 1, MMFF added more cinemas to screen “Nilalang:”
Festival Mall, Market Market, Robinsons Metro East, SM Bacoor, Robinsons Pampanga, SM Cebu, SM Iloilo, SM Lanang, Gateway, SM Sta. Mesa, Robinsons Galleria, SM South Mall, SM Manilla, SM Fairview, SM Marikina, SM North Edsa, Glorietta and SM Mega Mall, according to Philstar.
On Monday, Jan. 4, Philstar reported that SM Mall of Asia, Trinoma and Robinsons Ermita were added to the list.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 6, Lopez said the demand for the movie on social media helped bring it to a total of 23 theaters.
“I’m happy that we’re getting back the cinemas that we lost…. It’s OK, but I hope the viewers would still go to the movies and watch, [that] the hype is still there,” Lopez said.
“Nilalang” producer Maia Lopez said the reason the film was entered into the festival was because of the expectation that it would be a level playing field for all filmmakers.
“The point is to showcase a variety of Filipino-made movies. So if you’re just going to show two or three movies, then why call it a festival?” she said.
“We knew we were up against giants that [have been] in the industry for years and years, longer than I’ve been alive. So to join the festival, to have the feeling that we had equal footing as them because it’s a festival, that’s what we’re after,” Maia added.
Success at the MMFF would also assist the filmmakers in increasing screenings worldwide. The movie will be screened for the first time outside of the Philippines in Vietnam in Indonesia this year, and the crew is currently in talks with distributors in North America.
“If we’re a bit successful [in Manila], we can definitely export the movie,” Pedring Lopez said.
While “Nilalang” won five technical awards, it has received less favorable reviews for its plot.
“The screenplay … doesn’t allow any of the characters to be anything but pawns in a narrative that exists only to frame the most basic of masculine fantasies,” a Rappler review wrote.
“Nilalang” did not rank in the top four earners in the film festival, which – in no particular order – were: “My Bebe Love,” “Beauty and the Bestie,” “Haunted Mansion” and “#WalangForever,” according to a Jan. 5 post on the MMFF Facebook page.
However, Maia said those behind the action-horror film neither expected it to be a top grosser, nor did they think it would suit everybody’s taste, given its violent nature and that many viewers seek dramatic films.
Lopez said the film had to be cut three times before it could be shown in cinemas, adding he hopes to release the director’s cut of the film next year.
“It’s not the best movie out there. We’re not saying that we have the right to occupy the cinemas. We’re not force feeding our movie to everybody,” she said.
“But what we were really thinking was we wanted to do something else to prove that we can come up with a nice film, we can have nice visuals…. We really thought about what we did … because we believe people deserve to watch this kind [of film], that filmmakers in the Philippines can do this,” she added.
MMFF did not respond to multiple requests for comment as of press time.
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