Here is one nice piece of trivia
for Philippine cinema. A hundred years ago to the day, a pioneering Filipino
filmmaker named Jose Nepomunceno produced and directed what is historically
recognized as the first locally-made movie, the silent film “Dalagang Bukid”
starring Atang de la Rama, a future National Artist. Considering that this is
the first full century since the traditional start of the Philippine movie
industry, a number of voices from that industry today are petitioning Congress
to give this day, or rather the whole month of September, an annual commemoration
to celebrate, that of Philippine Movie Industry Month.
ABS-CBN News has it that legislators in Congress are receiving
lobbies from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to make a
declaration that starting this year, every month of September shall be commemorated
annually as Philippine Movie Industry Month, to remember the premiere of the
first Filipino movie “Dalagang Bukid” back in 1919. This petition was brought
up Thursday, September 12 or the exact anniversary of Jose Nepomuceno’s film.
Liza Dino, FDCP chairperson, is proposing that the month-long Philippine Movie
Industry celebration could have at its heart the already-established film
festival, Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) as centerpiece.
Speaking to reporters in Malacañang,
Dino expressed her hope that Representatives and Senators would understand and
appreciate the message of their request for institutionalization of Philippine
Movie Industry Month. Already the FDCP had its own tribute event for the now
century-old milestone of Filipino filmmaking on Thursday evening. The New
Frontier Theater in Araneta Center, Quezon City, played host to Sine Sandaan,
which commemorated the history of “Dalagang Bukid,” its director-producer and
its star. Dino added that she is looking forward to Filipinos supporting all
celebrations that will be held in following days in commemoration of the
Philippine cinematic century.
At the very least, President
Rodrigo Duterte has already made an early tip of the hat to 100 years of
Filipino movies way back last year, when he declared a Centennial Year of
Philippine Cinema starting from this Thursday, September 12 of 2019, to
September 11 of the following year 2020. The Centennial year would be a one-off
thing, but the proposition of the Film Development Council of the Philippines
could ensure that this historical moment will always be remembered. It is an
altogether fitting gesture for Atang de la Rama and Jose Nepomuceno’s “Dalagang
Bukid,” which unfortunately is already a “lost movie” with no surviving copies
of the film.
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