Facing the widespread suspension of production shoots and the consequent financial stress on film-workers placed due to the COVID-19 quarantine measures, a group of Filipino filmmakers have come together to create the fundraising effort ‘Lockdown Cinema Club’ as a means of supporting the many vulnerable members of the Filipino independent filmmaking community.
A combined effort led by filmmakers Carl Chavez, Camille Aragona, Mackie Galvez, Alemberg Ang, Xeph Suarez, Patricia Sumagui, Ilsa Malsi, Mao Fadul, and with volunteers from the UP film organizations UP Cineastes’ Studio, UP Cinema Arts Society and UP Cinema, ‘Lockdown Cinema Club’ launched on March 20 with the tagline “Watch all you want, and give what you can!
Through Lockdown Cinema Club, the group seeks to harness the affective power of cinema, allowing it to go beyond its artistic medium and become a mode of action. Discussing his motivations for founding Lockdown Cinema Club, Carl Chavez said “Cinema has always been about story and images.
Since its initial selections of short films, the project has increased its database with the release of Lockdown Cinema Club volume three, containing nine full-length feature films. The push for diversification also led Lockdown Cinema Club to partner with the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI), the Lupon ng Pilipinong Sinematograpo, and the Ricky Lee Film Scriptwriting Workshop.
Alongside the free projects, Lockdown Cinema Club included donation links and a brief letter in which they described their motivations: “Fellow independent Filipino film workers displaced due to the lockdown will benefit from any contributions made through this project.
Through this fundraising effort, Lockdown Cinema Club will provide 2,000 pesos each to its various beneficiaries. As of March 28, with just over a week since its launch, the group had already raised 1,924,882 pesos.
Lockdown Cinema Club joins the recent FDCP launched DEAR ACTION! Program in its effort to alleviate the financial stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. In these efforts, we can see how now is the best time for the private and public sector to unite and ensure the survival and continued prosperity of the film industry. By providing the most vulnerable members of the film industry support in these difficult times we begin to put this joint partnership into motion.
