MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will be postponing its onsite events for the Philippine Film Industry Gala Night and Elwood Perez Retrospective until further notice. Originally set to take place in the Manila Metropolitan Theatre in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), these events, as announced by the FDCP in its Press Conference last August 26, 2021, will be deferred to a later date in light of the rising Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila.
In the meantime, the Agency announced that it will still be holding the “Philippine Film Industry Month Gala Night” and “50 Years / 50 Films: An Elwood Perez Film Retrospective Gala Night” at its FDCP Channel online platform on September 12 and September 25, 2021, respectively.
The Gala Night on September 12 will be a celebration of our film heritage and the journey of Philippine Cinema and will be streamed at 6:00 PM at the FDCP Channel. It will be hosted by Miss Kakki Teodoro and will feature a performance by acclaimed artists Isay Alvarez and Robert Seña. It will be followed by a special premiere screening of the newly restored film “Dalagang Ilocana” directed by Olive la Torre. The film was produced by Sampaguita Pictures and stars Gloria Romero, Ric Rodrigo and the King of Comedy, Dolphy. It was initially digitized by the Korean Film Archive and was restored by FDCP through the Central Digital Lab last year.
Then, on September 25, FDCP will be honoring one of the last living masters of his generation with the “50 Years / 50 Films: An Elwood Perez Film Retrospective Gala Night”. As a tribute to his legacy and his most seminal works, the Gala Night will launch El Maestro’s retrospective will feature a performance by The Company, hosted by Miss Kakki Teodoro and will be followed by a screening of Esoterika Manila. Fans and audiences can catch the retrospective screenings of his films at the FDCP Channel from September 25-30 which includes titles like Nakawin natin ang Bawat Sandali; Masarap, Masakit ang Umibig (Sampaguita Pictures); Ibulong mo sa Diyos; Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (Regal Films) and also some of the lost films of Director Elwood such as Inday Garutay.
“As we prioritize the health and safety of our community at this time, FDCP is still honored to hold these very important events in honor of our film heritage this month in our online platform, the FDCP Channel, where it will be more accessible for our audiences and guests. When the time is right, we still aim to hold an onsite activity at The Met and look forward to everyone coming together for a Philippine Cinema celebration”, said FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño.
Everyone can sign up for free at the FDCP Channel to catch the Agency’s online events as well as the free screenings featured for September. The Philippine Film Industry Month is presented by the FDCP from September 1-30, 2021 pursuant to Proclamation 1085, s. 2021.
