Julia Christine Botin

Film restoration, cinematheques: Direk Joey shares plans for FDCP

Article (news)

Jude Cartalaba

<p>MANILA -- Nine months ago, veteran director and screenwriter Jose Javier ‘Joey’ Reyes, took his oath as the chairman and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), stepping into the post after the resignation of actor and singer Tirso Cruz III.</p><p>His appointment was confirmed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in April 2024, approximately two-and-a-half months after Cruz III vacated the designation.</p><p>After the council&#x27;s presser last January 27, Direk Joey, as many would fondly call him, shared further his thoughts on the programs presented for the first quarter of this year.</p><p>Among the many programs Reyes is proud of is the establishment of the Academic Film Society (AFS), in which around 65 colleges and universities with specializations in Mass Communications and Film formed an association for networking, as well as for FDCP to integrate services to the various institutions of learning nationwide.  </p><p>For Reyes, &quot;Media education has become too Manila-centric and therefore there&#x27;s an urgency to disseminate the tools and strategies of learning for filmmaking and film appreciation all over the archipelago.&quot;</p><p>Last year, the AFS mounted its first national convention at the Design Arts Campus of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde where more than 150 students, teachers, and administrators got together to discuss pertinent issues involving film production and appreciation.  </p><p>&quot;We also invited practicing professionals to interact with teachers and students to give a real-world look at the media landscape as a business,&quot; he said.</p><p>Just last January 27-28, the AFC held &quot;Script to Screen: A Masterclass on Scriptwriting and Visual Storytelling&quot; at the Eugenio Lopez Jr. Senior High School. The initiative seeks to bring a foundational filmmaking workshop to the aforementioned high school to promote a love for film in the next generation. The initiative seeks to provide access to students from lower-income families who may not be able to afford a college education to major in ComArts, MassCom, or Film to be able to gain top-notch training from industry experts and practitioners.  </p><p>“The pilot activity was most successful via 150 students savoring the lectures and workshops given by director Pepe Diokno and writer Jules Katanyag,&quot; Reyes said.</p><p>&quot;We hope to expand this program to include more high schools of lower-income students to provide them with training programs and workshops.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738304484521JJR.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Director-screenwriter-lyricist-and-actor Jose Javier ‘Joey’ Reyes</span></span></span></div><div><strong>Maximize use of cinematheques</strong></div><p>Apart from that, Reyes is happy with the way FDCP is maximizing the use of the cinematheques all over the country -- bringing in various local and foreign films to be made available to the cinema enthusiasts in the key cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Davao, and Nabunturan together with the council&#x27;s activities in the Metro.  </p><p>&quot;Hopefully, we can build and open two to three more cinematheques that can be used as hubs for film activities of professionals, semi-professionals, students, and enthusiasts all over our archipelago,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Moreover, I am [particularly] happy with the way we are working with the Cinema Exhibitor&#x27;s Association of the Philippines (CEAP) in giving us access to various cinemas run by SM, Ayala, Robinsons, and Gateway to mount our Sine Singkuwenta wherein film enthusiasts can watch films which we license from our trips to festivals and markets for the price of only P50.  This way the film lover can watch films that would otherwise not be made available by distributors because of their niche market appeal.&quot;  </p><div><strong>Documentaries and animation</strong></div><p>In the press conference, Reyes also mentioned that Filipino filmmakers have great potential in documentary films and animation. </p><p>&quot;I sincerely believe that documentary filmmaking and animation are so underrated, so under-utilized in this country that I have made it a priority for FDCP to help develop and promote these art forms to become significant to the lives of Filipino creatives,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;As I have always said time and again, in this age of information overload, fake news, and alternative truth, documentary filmmakers are so important.</p><p>&quot;And when it comes to creativity, visual interpretation, and experimentation, the Filipino animator [even on the student level] is already world-class.</p><p>“How can we ignore the imperative to give them the chance to grow and the platform to exhibit their skills?”</p><div><strong>More old films for restoration.</strong></div><p>FDCP also aims to restore many old films as part of its mandate, as well as the curation of these restored films in its streaming platform JuanFlix, which will launch its phone app in September.</p><p>&quot;We are also focused on restoring old films; and not to allow more of the works done by our masters and major players to be lost forever again,&quot; Reyes said.</p><p>&quot;With the arrival of the restoration machinery so generously donated by the government and the training of Filipino archivists and technicians in the art of film restoration, we can bring back the significant classics and make them readily available to the public.</p><p>&quot;They will be made available in Juanflix after some time for public exhibitions.&quot; </p><p>There are also plans for the creation of a library of Filipino film scripts to be made accessible in digital form to the public when the council moves to its new offices at the Philippine Film Heritage Building in Intramuros. </p><div><strong>Advocate for better films</strong></div><p>As a filmmaker and FDCP chief, Reyes wants to stress that being Oscar-worthy is secondary. What is necessary is that Filipino filmmakers make better films, first and foremost.</p><p>&quot;By better films, I mean narratives, which are Filipino in heart and soul but possessing global if not universal appeal that will defy barriers of territory as far as audience appreciation is concerned,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;The dream to have a Filipino film cited by the Oscars requires not merely money but strategy. Moreover, it requires our creatives and producers to think beyond our backyard and make the world our audience.&quot;</p><p>In addition, to help in marketing short films, FDCP exposes short films to an international market so that they can be picked up and made accessible to various territories not necessarily through cinematic release but by streaming.</p><p>&quot;The FDCP also aspires to elevate the short film not as a mere alternative form but a kind of filmmaking that can be taken seriously with its aesthetics and language,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>Life after FDCP</strong></div><p>Given all that he&#x27;s doing now, it never occurred in Reyes&#x27;s mind to be perpetually installed as the head of the council. His term ends this July 2025 since he&#x27;s only completing the remaining year and a half of the former chairman Cruz&#x27;s term.</p><p>&quot;I am always ready to pass the baton to a successor since this is a political appointment. I know this is not forever. That’s why I refuse to be called chairman or undersecretary because this is such a temporary thing. I prefer to be called &#x27;Direk&#x27; because I know until my final expiration date I will still be a director,&quot; he said.</p><p>He also hasn&#x27;t given up teaching altogether. He resigned from his administrative post as chairman of the Film Program of the School of New Media Arts at the College of Saint Benilde because of the time required by his current post vis-a-vis the job&#x27;s demand. </p><p>&quot;One thing is for sure: I will keep on teaching and never cease working. I still teach at the Department of Communication at De la Salle University, where I have the post of senior professional lecturer. If and when I step down, I will spend more time in the classroom and go back to writing screenplays, maybe limit my directing but continue supporting new filmmakers through my production house Largavista Entertainment, which line produces films, series, and Web-based content,&quot; he said.</p><p>When he finally has the chance to direct again, &quot;I will drop everything to work with Judy Ann Santos, Janice de Belen, Lorna Tolentino, and John Lloyd Cruz.</p><p>&quot;I am still dreaming of working with Kathryn Bernardo, Elijah Canlas, Kaila Estrada, and again with Alden Richards.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CPRGClM57eo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chairman and CEO Jose Javier Reyes shared his thoughts on the programs presented for the first quarter of this year.</p>

Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chairman and CEO Jose Javier Reyes shared his thoughts on the programs presented for the first quarter of this year.