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AN initiative of the PLDT-Smart Foundation—named Cinemabuhay—created
to help the Philippine movie industry move forward, has announced
the film “Cul de Sac” as recipient of the 2008 Cinemabuhay grant
amounting to P1 million. The movie—which was selected over 37
other entries and to be written and directed by Juan Miguel Sevilla—is
a detective story in which the plot revolves around the ubiquitous
arena of call centers whose workings are a mystery to most of us.
“I have always been fascinated with mystery,
and unsolved crimes. And the fast paced, upside down late-night
insomniac environment of call centers is one that intrigues me. I
plan to capture that world that begins when we fall asleep and what
kind of people inhabit it,” explained grant recipient Juan Miguel
Sevila.
He added: “With programs like Cinemabuhay, I
have hope for Philippine Cinema. I believe that PLDT and Smart and I
are pursuing the same thing and know that this current resurgence of
cinema in the country is not our imagination. It is real. There is
hope. And it’s up to us to let the audience not just know about it
but believe in it.”
For his part, Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of the
PLDT Group and chairman of the PLDT-Smart Foundation said: “Our
hope is that the PLDT-Smart Foundation, through Cinemabuhay, will
play a pivotal role in uplifting the stature and quality of the
Filipino film industry. By institutionalizing the effort to
produce world-class Filipino movies, we hope to have a positive
impact on the future of the industry.”
Adding his own appreciative voice was
Cinemabuhay President and noted Philippine movie and TV star Albert
Martinez: “Cinemabuhay is an institutionalized effort to discover
future writers, producers, directors and give them the opportunity
to showcase their talents using Digital, Video and High Definition
formats. It seeks to expand the boundaries of film, leave the
audience in awe and create a new venue for Filipino filmmakers”.
According to PLDT-Smart Foundation president
Butch Meily, the panel of judges had a difficult time choosing among
the entries, but “Cul de Sac” was the best of many excellent
movie projects submitted this year. He added: “We look forward to
the showing of the finished film later this year as part of PLDT’s
80th year celebrations”.
Cinemabuhay was founded three years ago by a
group led by Albert Martinez. A working group of creative and
production people was created to help screen the initial entries and
choose the winner. The first One Million Peso award was given to “Numbalikdiwa,”
written and directed by Bobby Bonifacio. Starring in the film were
veteran actress Maricel Soriano and actor Albert Martinez, who both
donated their time to the project.
The PLDT-Smart Foundation is one of the major
philanthropic institutions in the Philippines. The Foundation is an
undertaking by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co and Smart
Communications, Inc., the leading fixed line, wireless and
information and communications technology companies in the country.
The foundation aims to assist in the country’s
overall development with particular emphasis on poverty alleviation,
microfinance, disaster recovery management, sports, education,
juvenile rehabilitation and the arts.
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