Alternative Modes of Distribution and Exhibition: Cebuano Cinema from the Perspective of Cebuano Filmmakers

Abstract

Although historically detached from the films of the so-called golden ages of Cebuano cinema in the 1950s and the 1970s, a new breed of Cebuano filmmakers have emerged in the 21st century. Through a series of interviews with Cebuano filmmakers, this article will map the alternative modes of distribution and exhibition in contemporary Cebuano cinema. In order to do this, the article begins with a discussion culled from a fresh interview with one of the brains behind the 1970s Cebuano blockbuster, Ang Manok ni San Pedro, Domingo Arong. Ang Manok provides a valuable roadmap for contemporary Cebuano filmmakers. In attempting to connect Ang Manok’s mode of distribution and exhibition with that of the contemporary Cebuano filmmakers, this article hopes to describe Cebuano cinema’s alternative modes of distribution and exhibition.