It is October, the tenth month of
the year 2021. And Filipinos still cannot go to cinemas to watch a
newly-premiered movie. This has been especially debilitating for followers of
foreign franchises like the MCU, which released two movies already. True, there
is the streaming option, and in fact some local and especially indie
productions have resorted to putting their content on digital platforms. This was
also the path taken by the Metro Manila Film Festival last year. Apparently the
virtual edition was deemed wanting by the MMFF committee that they are
gathering support to make the 2021 version live.
Inquirer.net reports that the MMFF organizers are pondering the
possibility of holding an in-theater Metro Manila Film Festival 2021 throughout
the country this coming December. The bombshell was dropped by Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairperson Rachel Arenas.
Arenas cited the minimal revenue generated by the online-only MMFF 2020, much
to the chagrin of the Philippine entertainment industry that has been laid low
by the pandemic. As COVID-19 goes into its second year of enforcing the new
normal on society, showbiz leaders are proposing a daring possibility of
reopening the cinemas for the festival, for the benefit of movie-starved
audiences who probably do not have streaming access.
According to Arenas, movie
studios want theaters to screen the films they make so that these businesses
can recoup operational losses due to the long-lasting pandemic. In addition,
the public that has been sapped by COVID restrictions could be reinvigorated by
a cinematic screening. In a recent budget hearing for the MMFF Sen. Grace Poe,
who sat as chair, put the question of reasonable max safe capacity for theatergoers
to the MTRCB. Depending on whether the IATF could accept the seating cap estimate
and possible equipment cinemas need to enforce COVID safety, it may be a slim
possibility that a live Film Fest could be held during this year’s Holidays.
The deliberations are still ongoing.
Image from The Summer Express
0 comments:
Post a Comment