Film education for teachers takes center stage in PACE, FDCP partnership

Capacity-building in film production and appreciation took center stage during the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) x Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE): Training the Teachers at Mapúa University Makati, July 4-5.

More than 130 communication and media educators from all over the country attended the two-day event, which was part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of PACE.

In his opening remarks, PACE President Mark Lester Del Mundo Chico emphasized that this initiative is part of PACE’s aspirations to continuously capacitate educators amid the changing media landscape.

“Our valued members are really the teachers. PACE exists because of the teachers,” Chico stated. “We want our students to learn from the best. This will be a ripple effect.”

Chico was followed by the welcoming speeches of FDCP Technical Consultant for Academic Linkages, Seymour Sanchez, and Mapúa University Board of Trustees member Yvonne Yuchengco, in which they expressed their continued willingness for the field’s advancement.

The main program of the event then started with a discussion on the state of film education and cinema in the Philippines by Direk Jose “Joey” Javier Reyes, FDCP Chairman and CEO.

In his lecture, Reyes reminded the teachers of their role as molders of the country’s future in what he described as the “dismal” state of Philippine cinema.

“Challenge your students to be a better generation than us. Challenge your students through film education to appreciate Filipino films, but more so to make better Filipino films for the future,” Reyes told the teachers.

Breakout sessions on film education

In the succeeding segments of the program, the attendees were divided into groups assigned to various forums on film appreciation and crash courses on film production.

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On the first day of the event, filmmakers Dustin Celestino and Giancarlo Abarahan delivered a lecture on story development and scriptwriting. While, producers Khaye Medina and Mica Oliveros spearheaded the session on production management and film production.

Meanwhile, Dr. Anne Francis Sangil and Dr. Roland Tolentino, members of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP), tackled film appreciation in Philippine cinema in a forum moderated by MPP Chair Dr. Shirley Lua after the screening of the critically acclaimed “Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”

The film, which was directed by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Lino Brocka and written for the screen by former PACE Board of Trustees member Clodualdo “Doy” Del Mundo Jr., is currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of its release.

For the second day of the event, award-winning documentary filmmakers Kristoffer Brugada and Adjani Arumpac discussed the art of documentary filmmaking in a forum moderated by She Andes, a film director from Mapúa University Makati.

Animation filmmaking was also tackled on the second day by “Saving Sally” director Avid Liongoren, “Iti Mapukpukaw” director Carl Joseph Papa, and animator Eru Petrasanta in a forum moderated by filmmaker Keith Sicat.

During the final leg of the program, communication educators took part in crash courses in film editing by renowned film editor Ilsa Malsi and cinematography by award-winning cinematographer Lee Briones-Meily.

Lastly, film experts Dr. Patrick Campos and Tito Valiente discussed film appreciation in world cinema during a forum moderated by movie critic Jason Tan Liwag in light of the screening of the award-winning French 2023 film “Anatomy of a Fall.”

The program concluded with a message from the Mapúa University School of Media Studies Dean, Dr. David Corpuz, highlighting the role of the event as a space for learning, reflection, and knowledge sharing on teaching film.

“I hope that we’ve helped shed light on the role of cinema in our lives. Hindi lang ito libangan. Film is an art form, an industry, a cultural artifact, according to Direk Joey, and a sign of the times, and, as teachers, we have to recognize that all of these aspects are intertwined,” Corpuz said.

Jian Martin Tenorio