Fifth Solomon laments local cinemas, malls ‘prioritizing’ foreign films
Fifth Solomon. Image: Instagram/@fifthsolomon
Fifth Solomon aired his dismay, saying the distributor of his latest film has apparently been having a hard time securing screenings in local cinemas and malls due to foreign films being the “priority.”
The director-actor spoke about this through his Facebook page on Sunday, June 1, amid the upcoming playdate of “Lasting Moments,” the film he helmed.
“Nagbigay na ng update ang aming distributor. Sabi nila, hirap daw kaming makapasok sa mga sinehan. Iilan pa lang ang pumayag na ipalabas kami. Ang dahilan? Mas pinaprioritize daw ng mga sinehan at malls ang mga pelikulang banyaga,” he claimed.
(Our distributor gave an update. They said it has been difficult to get screenings from local cinemas. Only a few agreed to screen our film. The reason? The cinemas and malls are apparently prioritizing foreign films.)
“Masakit at nakakalungkot isipin. Tila nanlilimos pa ang mga Pilipinong filmmaker sa sarili nilang bayan, para lang maipalabas ang sariling atin,” he lamented.
(It is saddening. It feels like Filipino filmmakers need to beg in their own country for their movies to be shown.)
While he acknowledged that international films may bring in more sales, Solomon posed a question, “Kailan natin uunahin ang atin?” (When are we going to prioritize our own [films]?)
He also stressed the need for concrete action from the government and the Film Development Council of the Philippines regarding the matter.
“Bago tayo tumakbo at magparada ng festival sa ibang bansa, baka kailangan muna nating ayusin ang bulok na sistema rito,” he said. (Before we attend and parade in film festivals abroad, maybe we should need to fix first the rotten system here.)
Solomon then invited viewers to watch his film, saying, “Magbaon kayo ng tissue — at ng pagmamahal para sa sariling atin. (Bring tissue and your love for Filipino films.)
“Lasting Moment” stars Sue Ramirez and JM de Guzman. Its release date, which was initially set on June 4, was moved to July 30. /ra
