We just notice that the filmfest lacks proper promotion. The general public is not aware of it at all. Someone told us “sobrang kalat kasi mga namamahala. Dapat, may video for promo ang mga director to be taped on Sunday (yesterday), pinaghanda sila ng mga damit na susuotin. But on Friday, they were told, cancelled na raw due to a technical misunderstanding. Kanya-kanyang promo na lang daw. Pinagma-mall tour sila, on their own. They also have to spend for their own gala screenings. Libre lang ang venue, which is SM, but they have to spend for everything else on their own.”
So far, we have attended one presscon, Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Bamboo Flowers” (financed by Dingdong Dantes) and two press previews, Gil Portes’ “Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle” and Joel Lamangan’s “Lihis”. Both are certainly worth watching, with superlative performances. The directors financed the promo from their own pockets. If these two films will be the peg of the rest of the entries, then this Sineng Pambansa filmfest is truly a worthy undertaking and lovers of local cinema like us should support it, even if the FDCP itself does not seem that keen on promoting the entries that they helped produce.
