Mula nang magsimula ang Cinemalaya film festival for independent filmmakers noong 2005, suportado na ito ng business tycoon na si Tonyboy Cojuangco dahil naniniwala siya sa galing ng Pinoy sa larangan ng arte at kultura. Dahil dito ay binansagan siyang "Godfather of Cinemalaya."
Taon-taon siyang dumadalo sa media launch ng annual competition, pero sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nagsalita siya sa presscon ng Cinemalaya 6 noong June 16 sa CCP Main Lobby. Ito'y ikinagulat ng lahat, dahil kilala ang businessman sa pagiging mahiyain o "low profile" pagdating sa press.
"My voice is like seasonal. It just so happened that my voice for this month is okey, so we'll take advantage of it," birong simula ni Mr. Cojuangco sa kanyang speech.
"Basically, our presscon is an exciting event for us because this is where the press starts to take their first look at the complete array of what we have for the season. And we have been getting very good press releases since the start of Cinemalaya.
"And for this reason, you contribute a lot to the success of the festival, from the people from the press, and once again, we'd like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts, because without you, people will not be aware of the gem that we have here at the CCP.
"It's hard enough to attend events here at the CCP. You have to be an artist at heart. You have to have arts and culture as a preference, before you actually brave the traffic and come here at the CCP."
MORE SUPPORT FROM BUSINESS. Inamin ni Mr. Cojuangco na hanggang sa mga oras na 'yon ay wala pa silang nakukuhang corporate sponsors na magbibigay ng cash sa festival. Mga ex-deal sponsorships pa lamang ang pumapasok.
Palagay niya, ito ay reflection na tila hindi pa talaga handang sumuporta ang nakararami sa business sector sa ating sining at kultura.
"I think it's reflective of the way arts and arts foundation have to deal in this country, if people actually support the arts. It's important that the press is with us.
"The success of Cinemalaya can be seen with the people who actually attend the festival. This place [CCP] is packed, as you all know, throughout the whole week. You'll never see this place packed the rest of the year, even if we have varied cultural performances throughout the year.
"So, again, it's a measure of success for Cinemalaya festival because a lot of people attend it."
MAINSTREAM DIRECTORS' SHOWCASE. Masaya rin si Mr. Cojuangco dahil for the first time, may bago silang kategorya para sa mga beterano o "experienced" directors sa mainstream cinema, at mapapanood ang kanilang mga bagong obra.
Ang mga lalahok ay sina Joel Lamangan for Sigwa (starring Dawn Zulueta, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Gina Alajar, Marvin Agustin, Megan Young, Maxene Magalona, Pauleen Luna, Allen Dizon, Lovi Poe, Jay Aquitania); Mark Meily for Donor (Meryll Soriano and Baron Geisler); Gil Portes for Two Funerals (Tessie Tomas, Xian Lim, Mon Confiado, Jeffrey Quizon).
Nandiyan rin ang bihirang-gumawa ng pelikula na si Mario O'Hara para sa period film niyang Ang Paglilitis Kay Andres Bonifacio (Alfred Vargas as Bonifacio, Lance Raymundo as Emilio Aguinaldo). At ang pinaka-"junior" sa aforementioned award-winning filmmakers, si Joselito "Jay" Altarejos for Pink Halo-Halo (Allen Dizon, Angeli Bayani, Dexter Doria, Mark Fabillar, introducing Paolo Constantino).
"We call it the Masters' Class, or Directors' Showcase, and here we have veteran directors participating in the festival.
"They have been wanting to participate since the second or third year of the festival. It's only now that we opened it up to them.
"So, this is the first time that people will experience veteran directors actually producing indie-like films. We try to stimulate the conditions that these young directors face, and make the veteran directors go through the same experience.
MASTERPIECES FOR UNDER 3-MILLION PESOS. "We've asked them to hopefully limit their expenses... I think three million pesos is our ceiling. They've shown their willingness to participate. I only wish we all spend below the three million pesos recommended ceiling.
"So, you can see what they can do, with the amount of money that is limited. That for us is a test of how well a director can produce an indie film.
"Anyway, it's heartening to note that the veterans wanna come in. It's a tribute to the young directors that the veterans want to participate in your festival. And we know that we are bridging the gap between the veterans and the young directors.
"Because of that, we will have a more exciting festival this year. We will see that the festival comes up with a better crop of films, and hopefully one day, we will have an open category that we will allow both the veteran directors and the young directors compete in the same category, and we'll see who comes out with a better product."
Umaasa rin si Mr. Cojuangco na mai-inspireang iba pang mainstream actors na subukang umarte sa mga kapuri-puring independent films.
"For the stars who have joined us from the mainstream industry, we hope that your exposure to the Cinemalaya festival will induce other mainstream stars to support the effort and to come up in future films," pagtatapos ni Mr. Cojuangco.
Ang Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival ay annual project ng Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc., in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) at Econolink Investments, Inc.
Ang 6th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2010 ay gaganapin sa July 9-18 sa CCP theatres, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, at pagkatapos ay dadalhin ang film entries (shorts and full-length) sa University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.