PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY REGIONAL CINEMA: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL FILMMAKERS’ ACCOUNTS ON THE RE-EMERGENCE OF REGIONAL FILMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY MARY KAREEN GANCIO COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN October 2015 UNIVERSITY PERMISSION I hereby grant the University of the Philippines non-exclusive worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish, and publicly distribute copies of this thesis in whatever form subject to the provision of applicable laws, the provision of the UP IPR policy, and any contractual obligation, as well as more specific permission marking on the Title Page. Specifically, I grant the following rights to the University: a) to upload a copy of the work in the database of the college/school/institute/department and in any other databases available; b) to publish the work in the college/school/institute/department journal, both in print and electronic or digital format and online; and c) to give open access to the above-mentioned work, thus allowing “fair use” of the work in accordance with the provisions of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293), especially for teaching, scholarly, and research purposes. __________________________________ Mary Kareen Gancio UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES Masters of Arts in Media Studies (Film) Mary Kareen Gancio Philippine Contemporary Regional Cinema: A Narrative Analysis of Regional Filmmakers’ Accounts on the Re-Emergence of Regional Films in the 21st Century Thesis Adviser: Professor Shirley Palileo-Evidente, MA College of Mass Communication University of the Philippines Diliman Thesis Reader: Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, PhD College of Mass Communication University of the Philippines Diliman Date of Submission 26 November 2015 Permission is given for the following people to have access to this thesis: Available to the general public Yes Available only after consultation with author/thesis adviser No Available only to those bound by confidentiality agreement No Student’s signature: Signature of thesis adviser: PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY REGIONAL CINEMA: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL FILMMAKERS’ ACCOUNTS ON THE RE-EMERGENCE OF REGIONAL FILMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY MARY KAREEN GANCIO Submitted to the COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION University of the Philippines Diliman In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF ARTS IN MEDIA STUDIES (FILM) October 2015 PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY REGIONAL CINEMA: A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL FILMMAKERS’ ACCOUNTS ON THE RE-EMERGENCE OF REGIONAL FILMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY by MARY KAREEN GANCIO has been accepted for the degree of MASTERS OF ARTS IN MEDIA STUDIES (FILM) by Professor Shirley Palileo-Evidente, MA Adviser Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, PhD Dr. Joefe B. Santarita, PhD Critic/Reader Member and approved for the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication by Dr. Elena E. Pernia, PhD Dean, College of Mass Communication BIOGRAPHICAL DATA PERSONAL DATA Name Mary Kareen Gancio Permanent Address Assi St., Poblacion Ilaya Sara, Iloilo Email Address [email protected] Date & Place of Birth 25 February 1986, Davao City EDUCATION Tertiary Level Cum Laude, West Visayas State University, Iloilo Secondary Level Second Honorable Mention, Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus, Iloilo Primary Level First Honorable Mention, Eucharistic King Academy, Iloilo ORGANIZATIONS Instructor, Fudoshin Aikido Dojo, Aikido Philippines WORK EXPERIENCE Sales Assistant, GMA Mktg & Productions, Inc., 34 mo. Publications Head, Asia Pacific College (APC), 25mo. Student Activities Office Head, APC, 4 mo. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The following thesis would have not been possible without the support of the following people: First, the Thesis Committee composed of my Thesis Adviser, Prof. Shirley Palileo-Evidente; my Reader/Critique, Dr. Grace J. Alfonso; my Topic Specialist, Dr. Joefe Santarita; and the Dean's Representatives, Prof. Diosa Labiste and Prof. Christine Cox for the guidance and insights they shared since the proposal to the defense proper. I would also like to thank our former dean, Dr. Rolando Tolentino for allowing me to extend in this program. Next, to Olivia Parian and Cherith Joy Yucoco, for the assistance they provided in the process of interview transcription; to Bernard Eran, for the faith and moral support; to Juhn Evans Silda and Emma Tayag for the insights and the prayers; to Julia Cuison- Gancio for the guidance and the prayers, and to the late Dr. Evelyn D. Tomambo, for being my inspiration. Finally to my respondents, Arnel Mardoquio, Christopher Gozum, Kidlat Tahimik, Martin Masadao, Nick Deocampo, Ray Defante Gibraltar, Remton Zuasola, Ronald Arguelles, Sherad Sanchez, and most especially, Teddy Co for allowing me to draw their insights and aspirations on regional cinema. I would also like to thank Sensei Lucito de Jesus for the insights, and Dr. Zeus Salazar for authoring Pantayong Pananaw, which served as an integral concept in this study. DEDICATION To my parents Winston and Donna Gancio Who never stopped believing in me; To my brother Montovanni Kasparov Gancio Who sculpted me into the best version of myself. ABSTRACT Gancio, M.K. (2015). "Philippine Contemporary Regional Cinema: A Narrative Analysis of Regional Filmmakers’ Accounts on the Re-emergence of Regional Films in the 21st Century" Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. Regional films’ potential to redefine Philippine cinema demands a discursive space that generates understanding of its re-emergence in the onset of the 21st century. Approached from the perspective established in Gabriel’s Critical Theory of Third World Films and Salazar’s Pantayong Pananaw, this study explored the insights of seven (7) regional filmmakers, one (1) film scholar, one (1) film curator, and one (1) film producer about this phenomenon using Narrative Analysis. In this study, the respondents generally agree that regional cinema has altered the landscape of Philippine cinema despite its marginalized position outside the mainstream film industry. This study revealed that the filmmakers’ need to express their thoughts coupled with technological innovations and initiatives from social institutions prompted the production of contemporary regional films. This study also revealed that financial limitations, unresolved personal issues, and politics were observed in all three areas of filmmaking: production, promotion, and distribution. The question of authenticity and regionalism were also mentioned as current issues in regional cinema. Finally, although this study revealed four (4) criteria to consider in determining a regional film, it concludes that these criteria will continue to evolve; and therefore assigning a fixed definition for regional films or regional cinema at the moment should be avoided. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page i Approval Sheet ii Biographical Data iii Acknowledgments iv Dedication v Abstract vi Table of Contents vii List of Figures x List of Tables xi I. INTRODUCTION 1 Background of the Study 1 Statement of the Problem and Objectives 2 Significance of the Study 3 Scope and Limitation 4 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 6 Regional Films in the History of Cinema in the 6 Philippines Emergence of Indigenous Cinema 7 III. STUDY FRAMEWORK 10 Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 10 viii Operational Definition of Concepts 22 IV. METHODOLOGY 26 The Research Design 26 Choosing the Topic 26 Sampling 27 The Respondents 28 The Correspondence 32 Data Gathering 33 Data Analysis 34 V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 38 The Factors That Prompted Production 38 Technology 38 The Individual 42 The Social Institutions 54 Issues in Contemporary Regional Cinema 62 Production Issues 63 Promotional Issues 68 Distribution Issues 70 Other Issues 72 Regional Cinema’s Current Condition 77 The Respondents’ Aspirations 78 The Respondents’ Recommendations 82 Definition of Regional Cinema 88 ix VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 92 Summary 92 Conclusion 93 VII. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 97 Bibliography 100 Appendix A: Questionnaire For Filmmaker 107 Appendix B: Questionnaire For Film 108 Scholar/Curator/Producer Appendix C: Letter To Filmmaker 109 Appendix D: Letter To Film Festival 110 Organizer Appendix E: Letter To Film Scholar 111 Appendix F: Interview Transcript 112 x LIST OF FIGURES Number Title Page 1 An Integrated Model of the 22 21st Century Regional Cinema’s Emergence 2 Snowball Sampling 29 3 The Logic Diagram 35 4 The Coding Process 37 xi LIST OF TABLES Number Title Page 1 Gabriel’s Critical Theory 14 of Third World Films Phase-Component Matrix 1 I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study The Philippine cinema is Manila-centric by nature. Manila's strategic location, economically and geographically, has made it easy for the film industry to establish itself in this part of the country. Up to this day, it remains to be the major source of Filipino movies. One of the consequences of Manila's strong hold over film production in the Philippines is the use of the Tagalog language, the primary language used in this part of the country, in majority of the films produced. As a result, Filipino films have become almost always synonymous with Tagalog movies. This fact becomes disturbing once one realizes that there are a number of ethnolinguistic groups in the country, whose reality are often subverted or distorted in films because of theManila-based filmmakers' failure to translate these groups' experiences into film. The independent film festivals organized in the country