Philippines News: Filmmakers Lured by Tropical Landscape, Artistic Creativity

With an English-speaking population and a world-renowned sense of artistic creativity â€“ not to mention a lush tropical landscape of unparalleled beauty â€“ the Philippines is poised to be the next up-and-coming film industry with several films recently winning awards at independent festivals, and others promising works in the pipeline.

The Philippines has caught the attention of many filmmakers in recent years due to its competitive filming costs which negate budget restrictions, allowing for the creation of seemingly high-budget motion pictures that wonâ€™t break the bank.

â€œThe Philippines offers state-of-the-art equipment and post-production service providers with cutting-edge technology on par with that of Hollywood,â€ said Digna Santiago, executive director of the Philippine Film Export Services Office (PFESO), the division of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) which helps facilitate international filming projects.

Once pigeonholed as a set location merely for war pictures such as Apocalypse Now, Born On The Fourth Of July and Platoon, the Philippines has recently attracted a much greater variety of films from award-winning independent dramas showcased at Cannes and other key festivals to major Hollywood blockbusters including Josh Hartmanâ€™s upcoming I Come With The Rain.

This can be attributed in part to local Filipino directors such as Ishmael Bernal and Lino Brocka, known respectively for confronting controversial feminist and gay and lesbian issues in their films. Brocka, whose masterpiece Insiang was the first Filipino film shown at Cannes, has been honored with accolades worldwide, including the Peace Film Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Filipino director Cirio H. Santiago, known for his work with prolific American â€œpulpâ€ producer Roger Corman, has been identified by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino as one of his greatest influences. Several characters in Tarantinoâ€™s award-winning Kill Bill epic were based on Santiagoâ€™s movies.

Tarantinoâ€™s most recent Grindhouse collaboration with Robert Rodriguez is believed to have drawn on images from another Filipino film, Twilight People, directed by the acclaimed Eddie Romero, who was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003.

These notable Filipino directors, as well as a host of younger filmmakers following in their prestigious footsteps, have raised the countryâ€™s profile in the industry and brought attention its many diverse offerings which extend far beyond the jungle and include the fast-paced cosmopolitan city of Manila, as well as centuries old churches and other structures dating back to the Spanish Colonial period.

The Philippines shines artistically as well due to the unique character of the Filipino soul, which is a product of many cultures from all over Europe, Asia and North America. This unique sense of artistry is evident in the countryâ€™s architecture as well as the handcrafted furniture, props and costumes which add a inimitable flavor to any movie set.

Filipino pictures have been described as â€œa cinematography filled with energy and audacityâ€ by the organizers of the 2008 Paris Cinema International Film Festival, which will honor the Philippine film industry and its new generation of directors from July 1-12, showcasing 40 of countryâ€™s most remarkable titles.

For more information on filming in the Philippines, call the PFESO at (011) 632-633-2204 or (011) 632-632-9512, e-mail: fdcphil@yahoo.com or visit: www.filmdevcouncil.com.

For more information on the Philippines, contact the destinationâ€™s travel information hotline at 888-PHIL-TRAVEL or visit www.experiencephilippines.ph.

Philippine Department of Tourism

The Philippine Department of Tourism (PDOT) is one of the Executive Departments of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines responsible for the promotion of travel to the Philippines, tourism investments, and enhancement and preservation of tourism products in the country. Field offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco provide the following services free of charge on a selective basis: dissemination of tourism information, maps, brochures and posters; lending out of videos, CDs and other tourism-related materials; recommendations on places to visit; endorsement of relevant entities; and assistance to those traveling to the Philippines. These offices also engage in a number of promotional activities: presentations to travel organizations, travel trade shows, media inserts and joint marketing arrangements.

The Philippine Department of Tourism is headquartered in Manila, Philippines, with offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.experiencephilippines.ph or www.wowphilippines.com.ph, or call the toll-free Philippine travel information hotline at 1-877-PHIL-TRAVEL.

Kahn Travel Communications (KTCpr) is the appointed publicist for the Philippine Department of Tourism, covering North America. Media may contact KTC at (516) 594-4100, or via e-mail at J.Kahn@KTCpr.com.