BACOLOD City – The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) opened its 6th Cinematheque Center in the country at the annex building of the Negros Museum in Bacolod City.
The 78-seater theater is the latest addition to the other Cinematheque Centers in Manila, Iloilo, Davao, Zamboanga, and Nabunturan in Compostela Valley.
FDCP chairperson Liza Diño-Seguerra who graced the soft-launching of the center was thankful of the partnership of FDCP with the Negros Cultural Foundation (NCF) with Mrs. Lyn Gamboa at the helm for the existing space in the Negros Museum where they converted into the center.
The Cinematheque Center Negros total construction, seats, electronics and equipment cost about P4.5-million.
“FDCP’s goal is to really empower the regions anchoring on the President’s (Rodgrigo Duterte) directive to de-centralize everything that is Manila-centric. Cinematheque is an avenue that should empower regional filmmakers having the platform to tell stories of the locality without having to go to Manila,” Diño-Seguerra said.
According to Diño-Seguerra, Bacolod is a perfect template on how prolific filmmakers give back to the local upcoming community of filmmakers where through the FDCP program and having Cinematheque in Negros came about.
The FDCP chair was overwhelmed with the support and partnerships FDCP has gained in Negros.
“It’s surreal to see Cinematheque Negros come to life since it did not took very long, just a matter of a little over a year,” Diño-Seguerra added.
Meanwhile, NCF president Lyn Gamboa said the establishment of Cinematheque is just the beginning of real collaboration of all the arts in the country, and while the Negros Museum is alive, arts, culture and heritage will also be alive.
Joel Torre, one of the best film actors in the country, who hails from Negros, said the new Cinematheque Center is an arts space for young artists in the province.
Torre was invited for a Master Class series at Cinematheque Center as part of the Sine Negrense Festival, another program of the FDCP. (PIA/PN)
