FOREIGN MOTION PICTURE: IMPACT TO THE LOCAL FILM INDUSTRY (2025)

The Little Brown Brother “Shoots” Back: Postcolonialism in Filipino Cinema at the Turn of the Century, 2000-2010

Chronicle: A Journal of Technology, Design, and Culture, 2024

Throughout most of the 20th century, the dominance of Hollywood hindered the development of a distinct film identity and tradition within Philippine cinema. However, from this seemingly uninspiring state, a vibrant independent film community emerged and thrived during the first decade of the 21st century. This transformation was made possible by the introduction of more accessible digital video cameras in the 1990s. The digital medium provided independent filmmakers with the opportunity to explore various storytelling approaches centered around Philippine realities, which resonated with younger audiences. This paper posits that Filipino independent, or “indie,” cinema experienced a surge in creativity during the first decade of the 21st century and established what I refer to as a “postcolonial aesthetic” to counter the dominance of the Hollywood cinematic structure. I draw upon the ideas of Renato Constantino and Bienvenido Lumbera as my primary framework to trace the trajectory of independent and mainstream Filipino cinema during this period. Through an examination of two films from that era—one independent (Ded na si Lolo [Grandpa is Dead], 2009) and one mainstream (Baler, 2008)—I argue that Philippine cinema truly came into its own between 2000 and 2010, and its unique characteristics continue to influence the post-Covid era.

The Other " Other " Cinema: National and Cultural Identity in Filipino Alternative Films

In the last ten years – as Hollywood movies continue to dominate the Philippine cultural landscape and the output of the Filipino mainstream movie industry continues to decline – the Philippines has seen a surge of films produced by so-called " indie " or independent filmmakers. Unfortunately, while independent films are popular among a few upper and middle class audiences, it has yet to create a major impact on the wider movie-going public. As a result, independent filmmakers bring their works to international film festivals, mostly in Europe and the United States. Questions arise as to whether these filmmakers create films that cater more to Western tastes than to that of Filipinos. This paper argues that independent films can also be used as an " alternative " to counter the global hegemonic dominance of Western cinema, particularly those of Hollywood. It adopts as its primary framework the post-colonial theories of Renato Constantino and Bienvenido L. Lumbera. The essay proposes two questions that can serve as a guide for Filipino filmmakers: (a) Cinema for whom? (b) How can cinema serve the Filipino masses? It further suggests that Filipino filmmakers can make use of movie genres already embraced by the masses, subtly subverting and re-inventing its form in order to address the Filipinos' " colonial mentality " brought about by decades of U.S. cultural imperialism and neo-colonialism. In other words, filmmakers can foster counter-hegemonic ideas under the guise of the popular melodrama, comedy or fantasy genre; hence creating a truly Filipino alternative cinema.

The Audience for Foreign Film in the United States

Journal of Communication, 1990

Pluced against tbe bzstorical evfdence of forefgnjilm popularlly in abe 1950s and l%&, new empiricad data sbow tbose wttb an already deveb@?d interest in foretgn nrltures.

José Nepomuceno and the creation of a Filipino national consciousness

Film History, 2008

The essay examines the contribution made by film director José Nepomuceno to the Philippine quest for independence and the raising of national consciousness. By portraying Filipino views, lives and traditions, Nepomuceno was instrumental in creating an imagined community in a colonial society, and his films were viewed by people from all social strata across the Islands and among different language groups. The films of Nepomuceno spread Tagalog language and culture, and gradually made Filipino national culture converge with Tagalog culture.

An Irresistible Market: A Critical Analysis of Hollywood–Bollywood Coproductions

Communication, Culture & Critique, 2012

This article examines the nature of the symbiotic relationship between Hollywood and Bollywood using critical political economy as an analytical strategy and conceptual framework to evaluate the consequences of increasing cooperation between Hollywood film studios and the Indian film industry. We suggest that because the primary objective of the movie industry under capitalism is market dominance through cooperation and concentration, it is important to analyze the political and economic repercussions of coproductions between these global entertainment industries.

Globalwood: Hollywood's Foreign Market Challenge in the Digital Economy

This study examines the impact of the global digital economy on cost structures in Hollywood, as an example of an information-intensive - or intellectual property-dependent - industry. Furthermore, it analyzes how a shift in industry cost structures due to digital technology has impacted the issue priorities of film industry trade associations and lobbyists in their efforts to set and shape the US Government's legislative and foreign trade agendas. The research aims to answer these questions: 1) Given that digital technology exacerbates the appropriability problem of information-intensive industries by lowering the marginal costs of content reproduction, what will be the response of Hollywood's trade association as it seeks to protect the market dominance of American films? 2) What factors must come together in order for the industry's business-government relations representatives to deem the issue critical enough to merit substantive action? This thesis hypothesizes that it was the conjunction of a growing reliance on revenues from content licensing, as opposed to content exhibition, and a growing dependence on overseas profits, that were the two shifts in cost structure which prompted strategic changes as it became necessary to consider the intellectual property protection infrastructures of foreign nations. Only then did the issue prioritization and agenda-setting activities of the American film industry's trade associations widen in scope and breadth to accommodate the industry's new challenges in the digital economy.

Film Distribution in New Zealand: Industrial Organization, Power Relations, and Market Failure

This paper provides an overview of the distribution of feature films in New Zealand to add to the scarce literature on this topic. It studies the relationships among distributors and local producers. Based on a perspective of the political economy of culture and a review of international literature on cinema distribution, our empirical research consisted of (1) a qualitative study of interviews with feature film practitioners and (2) an industrial analysis based on media reports, documents, and statistics. As a result, we observed that the feature film distribution sector is in good shape while there is a reported market failure in the distribution of New Zealand films. Many local producers struggle to find distribution deals while those who do find them discover they are disadvantageous to producers. This paper explores some of the distribution dynamics underlying the market failure in New Zealand and suggests some possible solutions.

In-Film Product Placement an Emergent Advertising Technique: Comparative Analysis between Top Hollywood and Egyptian Films 2010-2013

Products have been placed in films since the appearance of Sunlight soap in a 1896 film. However, in-film placement has started to gain much traction in recent decades due to technological advances, such as the internet, Digital Video Recorders, and over-the-top providers that have been lessening the impact of traditional marketing. Product placement expenses in the American media have risen from $190 million in 1974 to around $3.5 billion in 2004 (Lehu, 2007). The practice is also existent in major regional film centers such as Bollywood, Korea, and Egypt. This study examined the in-film placement trends in Hollywood and Egypt through a quantitative content analysis of the top earning films between 2010 and 2013. Results show that the average number of placements was 35.30 and 27.65 per Hollywood and Egyptian films respectively. The practice was aligned in both in terms of modality, product category, scene setting, and character association.

The Asia Foundation's Motion-Picture Project and the Cultural Cold War in Asia

Film History: An International Journal, 2017

ABSTRACT: Drawing on archival materials from the Asia Foundation records at the Hoover Institution Archives and the Robert Blum Papers at Yale University Library, this article focuses on the origins and development of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia (FPA) by unveiling the existence of the Asia Foundation (TAF) and its forgotten motion-picture projects in Asia. Under the leadership of its first president, Robert Blum (1953–1962), the Asia Foundation, a private nonprofit organization, was actively involved in the motion-picture industries in Cold War Asia. The Asia Foundation covertly supported anticommunist motion-picture industry personnel, ranging from producers, directors, and technicians to critics and writers in Japan, Hong Kong, Burma, and South Korea, as well as American and British motion-picture producers in Malaysia and Thailand through clandestine activities. This study aims to investigate how and to what extent TAF and its field agents furtively acted to construct an anticommunist motion-picture producers’ alliance in Asia, responded to local film executives’ various needs, and negotiated with the constantly changing political, social, and cultural environments in the region during the project’s active periods.

Fiesta', Affirming Cultural Identity in a Changing Society: A Study of Filipino Music in Christchurch, 2008

2009

his study is the first extensive examination of musical activity of the Filipino community in Christchurch. The thesis examines the styles of music and the ways in which music is used by the Filipino migrant community in Christchurch during 2008, encapsulated in their fiesta celebrations. It acknowledges the recent growth in Filipino migration to New Zealand and seeks to identify a corresponding increase in Filipino musical activity. The measurement of greater musical activity in the Filipino community is linked to the occurrence of new initiatives involving music. Concepts of Filipino musical identity are extrapolated from data, which indicates the relative representation of musical styles and mediums, in the context of conscious displays of Filipinism. Filipino musical activity is shown to be lively, physically mediated, and group orientated, with an emphasis on song and dance. The importance of religion in Filipino music making and celebration is demonstrated, and a sustained Hispanic influence on Filipino culture in Filipino migrants to Christchurch is identified. Background chapters deal with main genres of Filipino music, and aspects of Filipino culture and society. A participant/observer role and use of fieldwork recordings and interviews are adopted. Findings on Filipino groups and their musical activity in Christchurch are presented and key fiestas that took place in 2008 are reported. Following this, two specific items; a folk dance and a liturgical song, the preparation and performance of which were participated in by the researcher as part the project’s ethnomusicological fieldwork, are examined. A DVD of selected performances is included.