The State of Bohol's Independent Cinema

by Ryan Macalandag

Last Wednesday, I went to Manila to join Cinema Rehiyon a film festival of sorts featuring independent films from the provinces or from the “other Philippines” as they call it. I was with a Ted Ramasola and Sherwin Tutor, local independent filmmakers in their own rights who also had submissions to the festival.

We were exposed to films from other provinces, including Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Bicol, Laguna, Baguio and a few others. The range of films submitted was vast that it was a feast for our hungry eyes. The small theatre at the Cultural Center of the Philippines played host to the exposition.

We submitted three films for the Bohol time slot – “Allan”, “Siyam Ka Kinabuhi” and “Tabi Apo”. “Allan”, made by Teddy, is a film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story and adapted into a short film by Brian Luce, Ted’s friend. “Siyam” is a project for Sherwin’s TV Arts class in UB Fine Arts while “Tabi Apo” is a six-minute short film we shot last Tuesday with Sherwin, Jude Montejo and a few neighbors as actors. I only edited it as soon as we arrived in Manila and had it shown the day after.