SM cinemas to show Pinoy 'indie', award-winning films year-round | ABS-CBN

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SM cinemas to show Pinoy 'indie', award-winning films year-round

SM cinemas to show Pinoy 'indie', award-winning films year-round

ABS-CBN News

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A three-year partnership between the government and a cinema popular with the masses may help local filmmakers bring their work to more local viewers.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc. (SMLEI) have partnered to provide dedicated SM Cinema theaters for local independently-produced films and other FDCP programs.

“This partnership with SM will not only fulfil our continuous pursuit of developing the audience into watching a variety of films but it will also give the independent producers a platform to learn how to market, to promote, and to distribute their films to wider audience,” said FDCP Chair Liza Diño-Seguerra in a statement on Saturday.

There will be 8 theaters nationwide that will show independent movies all year round. Participating SM branches include SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Iloilo, SM Southmall, SM Cebu, SM Bacoor, and SM Mall of Asia, which may be interchangeable with SM Davao or SM Lanang.

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“This is our way of helping [independent filmmakers] show their films to a wider audience because we believe in their talent and the work that they do for the local movie industry,” said SMLEI President Edgar Tejerero.

Featured FDCP programmed films and events are set to be shown in the dedicated theaters within the first half of 2017.

Last year, the inclusion of mostly independently-funded films in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) was met with criticism from film executives and stars of long-running film franchises.

This sparked debate among film industry insiders and watchers, as well as government officials on what movies deserve to be showcased during the MMFF, when cinemas are required to exclusively feature the so-called "Magic 8" festival entries.

It may be easier for "indie" films to gain a wider audience, some insiders said, if they were featured all year round in popular cinemas instead of being scheduled only at certain times of year, and shown to select audiences.

In January, Senator Vicente C. Sotto III filed a resolution asking the Metro Manila Development Authority to establish a film festival exclusive for independent films.

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