For an industry that has spent years trying to bring audiences back to theaters, the Philippines’ first National Cinema Day is a meaningful move meant to further highlight its importance.

Set for Sept. 12, the first Philippine National Cinema Day brings together cinema exhibitors, filmmakers, distributors and government agencies in a nationwide effort to encourage Filipinos to return to the big screen.

For Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)Chairman and CEO Jose Javier Reyes, the significance goes beyond the films themselves.

"Iba pa rin 'yung surrender mo ang sarili mo sa magic of cinema," Reyes said, describing the experience of sitting in a theater and giving one's full attention to a story unfolding on the big screen.

That experience, he noted, is increasingly easy to take for granted in the age of streaming.

"Importanteng-importante ito sapagkat parang nakalimutan na natin ang saya, ang ganda, at ang hiwaga ng panonood ng pelikula sa loob ng sinehan," Reyes said.

His point goes to the heart of the industry's challenge: cinema is not simply a place where films are shown. For decades, theaters have been where Filipino audiences discovered stories together, reacted together and, in many cases, created memories around movies.

National Cinema Day hopes to reinforce that culture.

And it is not necessarily about creating a one-day lineup of films unavailable on other dates.

Reyes clarified that regular theatrical releases will continue to be shown on Sept. 12.

"There’s no special screenings. In other words, 'yung mga regular na pelikula na palabas sa mga schedule na 'yon, 'yon ang ipapalabas sa September 12, pero with the difference," he explained.

For Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Chairperson Karen Zabaljauregui, that difference is essentially an invitation for Filipinos to reconnect with something that has long been part of their entertainment habits.

"It has always been part of our entertainment culture for decades and decades. The Filipinos, at the very heart of it, still love cinema. We just want to give them, keep giving them reasons to come back," she said.

That may be the most important message behind the Sept. 12 event.