MANILA: Arriving from the Venice International Film Festival, internationally much-awarded Pinoy film director Brillante Mendoza is asking Filipinos to watch and support more local movies.

“Pakiusap ko lang sa mga manunuod natin, maging mas masigasig lang para mas mainspire pa kaming gumawa para sa mga Filipino audiences natin, hindi lang sa mga audiences natin abroad. Kasi we would also like to share kung bakit nila naaappreciate ang mga ganitong pelikula sa Pilipinas” (Karen Valeza, 12 September 2012, ph.omg.yahoo.com). My free translation: “To our moviegoers, please be more enthusiastic to inspire us more to make movies for Filipino audiences, not only audiences abroad. Because we would also like to share why they appreciate films like these from the Philippines.”

Brillante’s latest movie is Thy Womb (alternative title, Sinapupunan), where Nora Aunor plays a barren Badjao midwife who seeks a baby maker (Lovi Poe) to bear the child for her husband (Bembol Roco). At the Venice Festival, Nora won the Bisato d’Oro Award and Brillante the La Navicella Venezia Cinema Award. “The director said the international audience’s warm reception was inspiring.” Later, also for Thy Womb, in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane, Australia, Brillante was adjudged Best Director and Nora Best Actress (Bayani San Diego Jr, 23 November 2012, inquirer.net).

There was the controversy over the fact that the Metro Manila FilmFestival committee decided to exclude Thy Womb from this December event. About it, Brillante said (I’m freely translating now): “They have their own criteria. I have finally moved on. I’m happy now. I always say, when a door closes, another one opens, a bigger one even. The award must be in place of that.”

Instead, Thy Womb premiered on 23 November at the large SM Lanang Premier shopping mall in Davao City, under the sponsorship of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Centerstage Productions, and SM (ANN, 05 December 2012, manilastandardtoday.com). It will be shown nationwide at SM Cinemas on Christmas Day.

Why did the MMFF reject his film? Never mind. Mendoza is asking more of us to watch more Pinoy movies so that more directors will be more inclined to produce more movies for Pinoys. In other words, Mendoza and the other award-seeking directors go abroad to exhibit their films because they are appreciated abroad, not here. He is implying that we don’t know quality films when we see one.

“Please be more enthusiastic to inspire us more to make movies for Filipino audiences.” I think Mendoza should be talking in front of a mirror. What he is actually saying is that we Pinoys should learn to love the movies directors like him are coming out with, never mind content. Should we?

Why do foreign audiences applaud Filipino films? Never mind. Why do Pinoys watch Pinoy films? Here’s a Movie IQ Test I just made up. I have here a list (alphabetized by me) of new and recent Pinoy movies, from angatphilippines.com; can you see what I saw that made me smile?

24/7 In Love; A Secret Affair; Ben Tumbling; Biktima; Death March; El Presidente; Juan Dela Cruz; Mga Kwento Ni Lola Basyang; My Prince Charming; Of All The Things; One More Try; Shake, Rattle & Roll 14; Si Agimat, Si Enteng Kabisote At Si Ako; Sisterakas; Sossy Problems; Suddenly, It’s Magic; The Strangers; This Guy’s In Love With U, Mare! Thy Womb; Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles; Tuhog; The Mistress.

Read again if you didn’t get it.

2 out of 3 movies are in English, including Tiktik because of its English subtitle. That means the Pinoy moviegoer is now world-class in taste and prefers English movies, if only in the titles! That means the species called Tagalog Movies is becoming extinct. Yes, those are mostly young stars populating those films. Goodbye dragging scenes, kilometric dialogues. This I think has been brought about as a survival reaction to the acquired DVD & cable routines of the Filipino, and the we-give-you-what-we-want quality of past Filipino movies.

“Pinagmamalaki namin ito kasi kultura natin ito,” Brillante said of Thy Womb (Ian Garcia, 29 November 2012, mindanaotimes.net). “We are proud of it because it’s our culture.” No, Sir, baby making is not our culture! You’ve got it all wrong.

So, my advice to all directors who go abroad to win awards for their Pinoy films:

Get real! Do not ask them to like what you make; rather, ask them the kinds of films they would like you to make.

Films are for people, not directors. (Well, if you’re a genius like Steve Jobs, you will give your customers what they want even before they are aware of the need for it!)

Forget those violent, prurient, poverty films that win awards. That is not in the Pinoy culture. Brillante’s next film, Captive, stars Angel Aquino, Ronnie Lazaro and Mercedes Cabral, “inspired by stories of kidnapping and rebel group abductions.” Forget kidnappings and abductions. What the moviegoer wants are films with a little class. Pinoy Films+. Now, is that too much to ask?