Kidlat Tahimik returns Lifetime Achievement award; protests Cinemalaya scrapping of New Breed category
by Leony Garcia
Dismayed by reports that Cinemalaya has taken out its New Breed film program, which provided eligible aspiring directors with seed money, Kidlat Tahimik returned his Gawad Balanghai trophy “for outstanding contribution to Philippine independent cinema” to the University of the Philippines Film Center when he hosted the premiere of his film, “Balikbayan #1,” last March 23.
“Balikbayan #1” (Memories of Overdevelopment) won the Caligari Prize in the 65th Berlin International Film Festival last February, over 40 years since his “Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare)” won the fest’s Fipresci Prize.
Kidlat Tahimik is the acknowledged father of alternative/independent Filipino filmmaking. He returned the lifetime achievement award he received from the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival to protest its decision to do away with a program dedicated to young filmmakers.
KT was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, Gawad Balanghay, as Father of Philippine Independent Film during the 10th year of Cinemalaya Awards night on August 10 last year.
Cinemalaya had the New Breed as a separate category for newbies or more unknown filmmakers for the past 10 years from which they selected 10, and another for the more established directors. But for this year, it was announced by the head of Cinemalaya, Chris Millado curiously at the Hanoi Film Festival that there will be 10 selections from a mix of script entries in an open competition and raise the usual P500,000 grant to P750,000.
“The New Breed program inspired young artists to find their inner duwende (his favorite reference to ‘unbridled creativity’),” Kidlat said.
“New talents will be forced into the same boxing ring as the heavyweights,” he said, explaining his reaction to Cinemalaya merging the New Breed program with the section dedicated to established directors.
This is not a case of finger-pointing, Kidlat said. “I’m not downgrading the achievements of Cinemalaya stalwarts. I appreciate what they have done so far. However, the money mentality seems to [indicate] that it’s more efficient to put together the little leaguers with the big boys. Then you forget your mission.”
The New Breed Category discovered and promoted names like Kanakan Balintagos, Lav Diaz, Khavn de la Cruz, and Raya Martin, among many others in the last 10 years, and it is in this spirit that he is protesting the new policy.
Cinemalaya officers talked to Kidlat over the phone and he told them that he was returning his Lifetime Achievement Award “to provoke” a discussion regarding Cinemalaya’s decision to merge the New Breed section and the Director’s showcase.
Below is the statement of festival director Chris Millado regarding the director’s predicament:
Merging the New Breed section and the Director’s showcase strengthens Cinemalaya’s resolve to support, develop and showcase the works of the burgeoning generation of filmmakers. The environment for filmmaking has changed since Kidlat became one of its pioneers more than thirty years ago. These conditions prompted Cinemalaya to review and realign its strategy while keeping its original vision. The merging of the New Breed and Directors Showcase sections recognises the potency of the new as it engages with the established. The “story” and innovative ways of telling continues to be the main focus of Cinemalaya films and this is where the new breed derives its power. The merging of the sections allows Cinemalaya to schedule more screenings of films therefore giving them more exposure and an increased cash subsidy for film production. We believe that the process of monitoring, guidance and mentorship which Cinemalaya has provided to new filmmakers has contributed to the success of many and we have broadened this opportunity by establishing the Cinemalaya Institute.
We will be having a meeting with Kidlat so that he may understand and appreciate the strategy of Cinemalaya for the next ten years and assure him that we are one with the vision of developing new and independent films in the Philippines.
Currently, there are 150 short film features and 120 full length feature proposals that have been submitted to Cinemalaya for consideration for the upcoming Festivals in 2015 and 2016.
