Laurice Guillen and Tony Gloria Talking about Philippine Mainstream and Independent Film

February 14, 2009

I went to a different classroom on February 7, 2009. I was supposed to attend my MA classes at PUP but I could not forgo the chance to learn more about film and the opportunity made available by Mainstream Loves Indie: A Date with Direk Marilou Diaz-Abaya.

Jason Laxamana of KALAMTV (A kapampangan teleserye) met up with me at McDo Katipunan. Thankfully, K2iA provided a ride for us.

The event was not a long winded lecture from Direk Marilou Diaz-Abaya, what with all the accolades, awards and recognitions decorating her sleeves. It was, rather, a discussion, albeit a long one, of the state of Philippine Cinema and why the term “indie” is a bit misleading and does not really help much in categorizing or labeling films.

Notable directors and producers shared their insights about this mythical, even mystical divide between mainstream and indie film-making. Probably, Mark Meilly’s take on this matter is bound to shake some preconceived notions. But he explained carefully that there is no such thing as independent films, only independent film-makers. An entirely new blogpost deserves this argument. So I suggest you SUBSCRIBE to the Penstalker Movie Blog and stay tuned with subsequent articles.

Here’s a recorded audio of Direk Laurice Guillen and UniTel producer Tony Gloria’s talk. Direk Laurice talks about her involvement with Cinemalaya and how it arose as a serious competitor to the Metro Manila Film Festival.