Cinemalaya Honored With 24th Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture, Community
Cinemalaya Chair Antonio O. Cojuangco (right) helped establish the Cinemalaya Foundation in 2005 to revive independent movies and nurture young Filipino filmmakers. (Tokyo PE photo)
TOKYO 07 June 2019 — For sparking a resurgence in the Philippine film industry, Cinemalaya Foundation Inc. was honored with the 24th Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community on 30 May 2019.
At the awarding ceremony, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo congratulated Cinemalaya Chair Antonio O. Cojuangco for helping usher another golden age in Philippine cinema.
Mr. Cojuangco shared that in 2000, the Philippine film industry, which used to be one of Asia’s most vibrant, was dying with less than 50 films produced annually. To revive the industry, Cinemalaya set up the country’s first digital film festival known as Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, centered on the belief that “cinema could enliven consciousness (malay) by telling stories in a free and independent manner (malaya).”
Cinemalaya has since produced 145 full length films and 138 short films. It has introduced 200 talented “new breed” directors and spawned the creation of other film festivals. Viewership record at the festival was registered at more than one hundred thousand in 2014. This year will mark the film festival’s 15th anniversary.
“Cinemalaya films dared to tackle narratives, characters, and subject matter often deemed risky, volatile, esoteric and therefore non-bankable by commercial standards,” Mr. Cojuangco said. “In this age of fake news and the weaponising of social media, we offer our Festival as an alternative space for truth telling,” he continued.
Nadiem Makarim, an Indonesian who started motorbike taxi ride-hailing application GO-JEK, and Dr. I Chui Liao, a Taiwanese professor who first artificially bred black tiger shrimp, were recognized alongside Cinelamaya for their achievements in economic and business innovation and science and technology, respectively.
The prestigious Nikkei awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to Asia’s development.
In 1997, University of the Philippines professor Jose S. Maceda became the first Filipino to receive the award. Gawad Kalinga’ Antonio Meloto was honored in 2011 for his contributions to regional growth.
Created in 1996 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Nikkei newspaper, the prizes are awarded annually in three areas of achievements: Economic and Business Innovation, Science and Technology, and Culture and Community. END
Deputy Chief of Mission Eduardo M.R. Meñez (rightmost) celebrates with (from left) Cinemalaya Chair Antonio O. Cojuangco, acclaimed Filipino directors Laurice Guillen and Carmelo “Mel” Chionglo, and Cultural Center of the Philippines Vice President Chris Millado (at the back) after the awarding ceremony. (Tokyo PE photo)
For more information, visit www.tokyo.philembassy.net or www.tokyope.dfa.gov.ph, or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinJapan/.