Celebrating animated films, world cinema
BOTH local and foreign award-winning films are coming to cinemas this summer thanks to two festivals hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP): the first-ever I Animate: Animation Film Festival and A Curation of World Cinema.
The former is running until April 29 at select SM Cinemas in Metro Manila, but will continue until May 5 at FDCP Cinematheque Centres in Iloilo, Davao, Negros, and Nabunturan. Some of the films included in the lineup are the Latvian film Flow which was the 2025 Oscar winner for Best International Film, and the 2023 Cinemalaya Best Film, Iti Mapukpukaw.
Meanwhile, A Curation of World Cinema features the films Memoir of a Snail and I’m Still Here. They will screen at cinemas in TriNoma, Ayala Terraces Fairview, Market! Market!, Robinsons Galleria, SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA starting April 30.
Memoir of a Snail is an Australian tragic comedy done in claymation while I’m Still Here is a live-action Brazilian historical drama by Walter Salles.
EMPHASIS ON ANIMATION“We at FDCP decided that, this year, we will put emphasis on three areas of filmmaking: documentaries, short films, and animation. This is our dedicated festival for animation,” said Jose Javier Reyes, FDCP chairperson, in his opening speech on April 24.
“When Latvia won at the Oscars for its film Flow, I thought, ‘kayang kaya ng Pilipino ito (Filipinos are also capable of this).’We nominated Iti Mapukpukaw for the Oscars for Best International Film in 2024, and out of all the Philippine submissions we ever sent, it got the closest,” he added.
Many Filipino animators work with big studios abroad, but struggle to make their own creations in the Philippines, something the FDCP hopes to change through government support.
“Through this festival, we want to give the audience more exposure to the various kinds of animated films,” Mr. Reyes told BusinessWorld.
One of the events held in conjunction with the festival was a talk on animation careers for Filipinos, with nine different animators serving as speakers across various fields, including Carl Joseph Papa who directed Iti Mapukpukaw.
There was also a talk on stop motion animation in the Philippines, with filmmakers Ricky Orellana and Roxlee as speakers.
Mr. Reyes explained that these efforts are a small yet necessary step in bridging the gaps in opportunities. “It is through the inspiration we get from works that come before us that we are able to find our own voice, our own ideas, and our own mindset in the path that we create,” he said. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
