The Consulate of Georgia in the Philippines, led by Consul (a.h.) Thelmo Luis Cunanan Jr., successfully launched the Second Georgian Nationwide Film Festival Roadshow. The project is a partnership between the Consulate; the Georgian National Film Center, which supplied the movies; and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), an agency under the Office of the President that is mandated with the advancement of independent local and foreign cinema in the country.
The featured films were “Street Days”, “Salt White”, “The Guardian”, and “Conflict Zone”. All are international award-winning and critically-acclaimed movies.
The roadshow started in the FDCP’s Theatre in Davao City on May 8, 2015. It then moved to the FDCP Cinematheque located at the historic Casa Vallejo leisure and cultural comidplex in Upper Session Road in Baguio City. From there, the films were brought to the FDCP’s theatres in Iloilo and Zamboanga Cities and were played to full audiences consisting of government officials, members of the academe, students, and the general public. The movies will be shown in Manila in July in Rizal Park’s 2,000-seat Open Air Theatre, located in the heart of the capital.
On the sidelines of the Baguio City film showing, in celebration of Georgia’s Independence Day and Georgian-Philippine friendship, the Consulate held a special diplomatic/consular screening of the 2015 Oscar-nominated “Tangerines”, directed by famous Georgian director Zaza Urushadze. The film, which depicted the story of Estonian immigrants caught in the Abkhazian conflict, received a standing ovation from the audience. Unlike the other films in the roadshow, “Tangerines” was only shown in Baguio City, as a special event.
All were unanimous in their praise for the Georgian movies. “I liked the films very much,” said Swiss national Peter Ernst. “Tangerines was especially powerful. The cinematography was excellent and the acting and storyline were superb.” Michael Zarate, the manager of FDCP’s Cinematheque and a film critic and writer, had this to say about “Tangerines”: “I always look forward to the yearly Georgian Film Roadshow of Consul Cunanan. But this year’s Tangerines was one of the best we have screened. Bravo to the consulate for bringing this movie to us.”
Because of the success of the Film Festival and the warm reception of the movies, Consul Cunanan has committed to establishing the Georgian Nationwide Film Festival Roadshow as an annual event in the Philippines.
Consul Cunanan is very active in the promotion of Georgian Cinema in the country. He has already held two film fests with the National Commission for Culture and Arts and the National Parks Development Committee. He has also donated Georgian films to several university libraries. Furthermore, he often guests on radio and television and in different forums, including colleges and universities, to talk about Georgian cinema.
