BACOLOD CITY – The city government will launch the Bacolod Film Festival in July to further develop the film industry here and create a venue for local filmmakers to showcase their creativity.

ANG (Glazyl Masculino)

Councilor Em Ang, head of the city council Committee on History, Culture, and Arts chairperson, said that the city council unanimously approved City Ordinance No. 1061, also known as the Bacolod Film Festival Ordinance, recently to give local film makers a platform for their craft and talents, as many filmmakers from this city have been winning awards abroad and national competitions.

Ang, ordinance author, said they are targeting to officially launch the film festival in July, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which committed to augment the event with funding.

She said they partnered with the DTI, pursuant to Republic Act (RA) 11904, otherwise known as the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, which seeks to promote and support the development of Philippine creative industries by protecting and strengthening the rights and capacities of creative firms, artists, artisans, creators, workers, indigenous cultural communities, content providers, and stakeholders.

“Bacolod is the very first one to avail of that by way of our film festival,” she added.

This city initially proposed a budget of P1 million but Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said that they are pushing for a P3 million allocation this year.

Ang said they are initially looking at 10 entries for the competition and each filmmaker will get a P300,000 subsidy.

She said the Bacolod Film Festival Council will prescreen entries and those qualified will be shown in cinemas here for two weekends. An awards night will be held to cap the activity, she added.

Ang said that filmmakers do not have to shoot scenes entirely here. But she stressed that a filmmaker joining the film festival should be a bonafide resident of this city.

A moviegoer can watch four short films in one ticket, she said.

The ordinance, co-authored by Councilors Cindy Rojas and Celia Matea Flor, is anchored on Section 16 of RA 7160, the Local Government Code of 1991, which mandates local government units (LGUs) to exercise their powers for the preservation and enrichment of culture in their jurisdictions.

It has 21 sections covering the Bacolod Film Festival Council, its functions and responsibilities, the festival director, their required qualifications, functions, and responsibilities, the festival's theme, selection process, awards night, and the source of funding, among others.