BY NEIL RAMOS
Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Liza Diño-Seguerra is ready to move past recent debacles, eager to focus on projects the agency has scheduled in the coming days.
Diño has been the subject of numerous criticisms in recent months, with the Director’s Guild of the Philippines (DGPI), The Association of the Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines (4A’s), as with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), among others, leading the offensive.
It all started with the FDCP issuing advisory outlining requirements for productions under so-called “new normal.”
Both the DGPI and 4A’s deemed this an “overreach,” maintaining the FDCP doesn’t have the mandate to issue such.
Diño’s tussle with the MMDA, on the other hand, started with her supposedly lobbying for FDCP to manage the annual festival.
It led to her eventually being kicked out of the festival’s executive committee.
In a recent Zoom interview, Diño turned emotional addressing the issues.
“I just have to look at the bigger picture,” she said. “Of course, ang hirap nun dahil sa isang di pagkakaintindihan maglalaho ang lahat na pinaghirapan namin.”
She maintained, much as she actually meant well, “iba ‘yung naging pagtanggap (nila).”
Diño admitted the experience was “humbling” and she is hoping to sit down with all those involved to clear the air.
“I know now na hindi dapat pabigla-bigla. I have to better the approach. Nirerespeto ko ang mga taong nagsalita. I don’t want to sever ties. I hope na magkaroon ng paguusap at the right time.”
“Tao lang din ako, nagkakamali. Yes, it hurt at the time but thankfully, I survived with the help of my husband (singer Ice Seguerra). Nandiyan siya palagi. Siya yung naging shock absorber ko. Iniiyak ko na lang sa kanya. But okay na. Tinanggap ko na. It is what is.”
In any case, the FDCP is now busy with various activities it organized.
Ongoing until Sept. 15 is the Film Industry Conference (FIC) Online 2020, which brings together various international film industry experts and stakeholders, discussing the latest trends, opportunities and platforms that Filipino producers and filmmakers can explore for the development, production, and distribution of their projects.
To be held Sept. 15-30 in collaboration with Tatino Films is Full Circle Lab Philippines, now with a more-expansive program consisting of four film labs (Fiction, Series, Animation, and First Cut) as led by various international film industry experts, supporting projects from the Philippines and across the rest of Southeast Asia.
FDCP has also partnered with The Manila Times Broadcasting Corporation to provide an online exhibition platform for the Philippine film industry.
The program, dubbed Sine Sandaan on The Manila Times TV runs alongside the centennial year celebration of Philippine cinema and will launch on Sept. 18. The partnership will feature FDCP co-produced films on The Manila Times’ online streaming platform for a thirteen-week span.
In partnership with the PIA Region XI, FDCP will be hosting a documentary production workshop scheduled Sept. 16-18.
Then there’s the Lutas Negros Oriental Film Festival (September 17-19), the Philippine International Comics Online Festival (PICOF) (Sept. 19-20), the FilmPhilippines WIFI: Workshops in Film Incentives (Sept. 24), the Mowelfund x FDCP special masterclass (September 26) on cinematography, scriptwriting, directing, and acting, the launch of the Philippine Film Archive website, the launch of the FDCP National Registry (NR) application, and CreatePHFilms (all on Sept. 28), a funding program that encourage the production of quality films through financial support.
This will be followed by the Sine Wikain Challenge on Sept. 29, which allows participants to creatively interpret various salawikains into brief vertical short films for a prize.
Diño maintained she is still very much as passionate fulfilling FDCP’s mandate four years into her office.
In a Facebook post, she said, “Serving in the government has matured me for the better as I realized that I am never going to be able to satisfy everybody all the time.
“What I can do is take the steps that I believe in and stay the course while also being humble enough to learn from mistakes and to accept that some things and other’s perceptions and convictions are beyond my control, and there’s no use in trying to change them.”
She added, “The FDCP is dedicated to provide its support for the industry in developing not just the film culture in the country but also capitalize on making the film and audiovisual industry as valuable contributors to the economy.”
Seemingly addressing her detractors she said, “I hope we can continue to find commonalities amid our differences and believe in the better goal to work together to elevate this industry.”
