THE National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) will hold the fifth installment of Cinema Rehiyon, the flagship project of the Cinema Committee of the NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts spearheaded by Dr. Mike Rapatan, in the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) from February 5 to 8.

This project by the NCCA is done as a celebration of the National Arts Month (NAM) every February and is part of the Philippine Arts Festival (PAF). The Philippine Arts Month 2013 is grounded on the theme “Ani ng Sining” with its subtheme “Celebrating Icons.”

Cinema Rehiyon is a film festival that showcases the works of Filipino filmmakers from all over the Philippines. This year, Cinema Rehiyon is guided by its own theme “Nurturing Cinemas of Home.” Established and budding filmmakers will grace the event as well as film enthusiasts, critics and movie stars. Films will be shown in UPLB’s DL Umali Auditorium and Searca Auditorium.

This year, the flagship project of NCCA’s Cinema Committee is done in partnership with pelikuLAB and the UPLB Foundation Inc. (UPLBFI), with UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts (OICA) as its major sponsor.

In November 26, 2012, Cinema Rehiyon Caravan was launched in Batangas State University and De La Salle University-Lipa as part of the festival’s promotion in Calabarzon.

Free screenings of films from previous editions of the festival toured around schools and universities in the said region. Its latest leg was at the Manuel S. Enverga Foundation University in Lucena City, Quezon in December 2012, to be followed this month by the next leg at the University of Rizal System in Angono.

Live performances are also expected during the festival because a special production integrating Film with Theater, Dance and Music is also included in the festival program. It is conceptualized, developed and directed by Prof. Dennis Gupa, an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities of UPLB. This year’s festival director is Katrina Ross Tan.

Filmmakers, critics and the audience of Cinema Rehiyon will have a chance to mingle with each other and talk about the issues that concern filmmaking in the Philippines. There will be a forum which will include discourses on Philippine Cinema which will be graced by Roland Tolentino, Dean of UP College of Mass Communication and Misha Annisimov, editor of Sinekultura Film Journal at the University of San Carlos in Cebu.

Cinema Rehiyon is annually done by the NCCA as a promotion of the Filipinos artistry in the field of Cinema. It also aims to bring different works of Filipino filmmakers to different audiences and communities. It is a platform for filmmakers to exhibit their works and interact with other filmmakers and stakeholders.

The festival raises awareness among its audience and the Filipinos about the abundance of filmmaking in the country visibly embodied by the works of the regional filmmakers. Most of these films hold culturally-rooted narratives that promote and gives a visual sense of awareness. Organizers, curators and programmers are given a chance to build their networks and share expertise with one another.