Directors on state of PH animation: There’s talent, passion, but platforms lacking

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino spectators can now add a brand-new film festival to their moviegoing experience, one that puts local animation front and center. This, after the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) formally launched the I Animate: Animation Film Festival late last week. 

Rappler caught up with Filipino directors participating in the festival to reflect on the current situation of the local animation industry and the type of support that local animators and film workers at large need.

Running until May 7, the debuting film fest offers a slew of local and international animated films screening in select SM Cinemas and Cinematheque Centres, alongside talkback sessions with top figures in the animation industry.

Headlining the festival are feature-length titles such as Carl Joseph Papa’s Cinemalaya hit Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing), Glenn Barit’s arthouse gem Cleaners, Avid Liongoren’s Saving Sally, as well Gints Zilbalodis’ Oscar-winning, no-dialogue adventure film Flow, Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering With You, and Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children, among others.

On top of this lineup, I Animate boasts three more curated sections: Animated Shorts Focus, Student Shorts Showcase, and From the Archives. 

Animated Shorts includes Stephen Lopez’s Hito, Keith Deligero’s Brand X, Kim Timan and Sam Villa-real’s HM HM MHM, Mervin Malonzo’s Ella Arcanghel, Avid Liongoren’s Jepoy, and Glenn Barit and Che Tagyamon’s Maski Papano.

The student section presents the likes of Vahn Leinard Pascual’s Ang Mga Sisiw sa Kagubatan, Ashley Mae Gonzaga’s One Call Away, Clister Santos’ Ili-Ili (Little One), and Vincent Joseph Entuna’s Ang Amomonggo sa Aton, along with other exciting titles.

From the Archives, meanwhile, is a retrospective on seminal works such as Roxlee’s The Great Smoke (1984), ABCD (1985), Spit (1988), and Words and Outtakes (1988); Yeye Calderon’s Balat II (1989); Nonoy Dadivas and Dange Desembrana’s Anak Maynila (1993); Nonoy Dadivas’ Junkzilla (1995); Auraeus Solito’s Ang Maikling Buhay ng Apoy Act 2 Scene 2: Suring at ang Kuk-Ok (1995); Katrina Villa’s The Friendly Letter (1997); and more.

State of local animation

There are already a number of film festivals in the Philippines that cater to various types of storytelling, led by the likes of QCinema, Cinemalaya, and the Metro Manila Film Festival. But rarely do local creators and audiences experience a film festival that is chiefly focused on animation at this scale, apart from Animahenasyon, an annual animation festival by the Animation Council of the Philippines. 

For Papa, one of the participating directors, I Animate extends a good opportunity to showcase the talents of Filipino animators.

“It shows the people that the industry is alive and we have content that caters to Filipinos,” he told Rappler. “Hopefully, with this festival, it would ignite craving and demand for more original animated Filipino content. Not just that, but also to show what animation really can do and what animation can tell.” 

Papa’s film, Iti Mapukpukaw, after winning top prizes at Cinemalaya 2023 and becoming the Philippine submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award (the first for a local animated film), has since toured the international film festival circuit, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and the Osaka Asian Film Festival.

“The main goal why we created the film to begin with is to reach out to people so getting another chance to screen it in the Philippines, much so in theaters, makes my heart full,” shared Papa, who’s now working on 58th, an animated docufiction film under GMA Pictures.

Lopez, meanwhile, has mixed feelings about the inclusion of Hito, which first screened at Berlinale’s 2023 edition, in the festival. “One, I’m happy that there are now more platforms for Filipino animated films to be shown,” he told Rappler. 

“But on the other hand, it’s also quite concerning since we are a mixed media film – that maybe only a handful of people are producing animated films locally due to the expense and time needed to accomplish such works, not to mention the amount of support these artists need to accomplish their projects.”

Lopez and Papa both noted that the unwillingness of local producers to invest in animated projects despite the talent of local animators remains to be the biggest roadblock for animation to fully flourish in the country. 

“I think it’s also the sad nature of the neoliberal policies of our government toward labor, resulting in a situation where most of our animators provide their services to international productions rather than creating for the local market or developing our own IP’s (intellectual property),” Lopez said. “Of course there are more problems than this and enumerating them all would be enough to make an academic study.”

Apart from funding constraints, Josh Van Ulric Campo, whose All the Things Left Unsaid screens under the student section, emphasized the distribution woes that local creatives wrestle with. “There is still a significant lack of platforms where we can showcase our work and where audiences can discover it,” he said.

“My biggest worry, both then and now,” he continued, “is that my short films will remain stuck on my hard drive, never having the opportunity to be screened and seen by an audience. And who knows how many great short films might never make it to the big screen, simply due to limited platforms and opportunities available.”

As it stands, the lack of programs and pathways for Filipino animators and filmmakers at large is still a glaring obstacle. “Animation is such a magical medium, where almost anything is possible, no idea is too absurd or unreal,” Campo said. “I would love to see how animation can transform the way we make films and expand the horizon of our local cinema.”

Similarly, Lopez is hopeful for a more inclusive and grassroots approach. “I wish down the line that more support will not just be dedicated to the exhibition of works but also in the provision of necessary support systems and resources so that artists can execute their animated visions to the highest level,” the director said. 

“I wish there were also more resources dedicated for developing young artists starting at the primary and secondary levels of education,” he continued. – Rappler.com