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Suggestions for the MMFF, and why we should **not** abolish it

pepediokno:

By Pepe Diokno
(The Philippine Star)
Updated January 01, 2011

My views on the Metro Manila Film Festival have changed over the years. I used to dismiss the whole thing outright, but since I started making movies, I’ve come to realize how valuable the MMFF is to our country.

See, the Philippines needs its film industry — not just for entertainment, but as a means out of poverty. Consider the following examples.

In the United States, Hollywood is among the few industries that thrived during the last recession. In fact, every year, it accounts for about 10 percent of the US’s gross domestic product (GDP). Imagine, one-tenth of the world’s largest economy comes from movies!

In the UK, their film industry contributes more than P300 billion to their GDP. In South Africa, the figure is around P23 billion. In Thailand, it’s over P1.5 billion.

These figures translate to millions of jobs created, families being fed, and children going to school. The reason is that film productions support other industries. A shoot doesn’t just need actors, it also needs caterers, accountants, animal trainers, and transportation. When a film is finished, it ties up with theaters, restaurants, video games, action figures, amusement parks, and tourism (think Disney World and Universal Studios).

That’s why other countries protect their film industry. Take South Korea. Since 1966, their government has enforced strict laws that require theaters to play Korean movies. They hedged their film industry, let it grow — and let it grow so much that it has even reached our shores. These days, Filipinos feast on Korean movies, TV shows, and music. What we don’t realize is that this also increases demand for Korean fashion, food, tourism — and even markets Korean electronics and automobiles.

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(Source: philstar.com, via pepediokno)