Bold and insightful—Korean Directors Hong Wonchan and Lee Woojung, along with Filipino Directors Joey Reyes and Maria Estela Paiso delved into the nitty-gritty of Philippine Cinema and Hallyu Films.
The opening day of the 2022 Korean Film Festival happened on August 10. It was held successfully at the IMAX Theatre at SM Aura Premier. On Thursday, August 11, the festival’s second day was held at the Film Development Council of the Philippines Centre in Manila.
A Directors’ Talk forum took place hosted by the Korean Cultural Center Philippines in partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization, the Korean Film Council, the Film Development Council of the Philippines and SM Cinema.
In detail, the event proper was divided into two sessions. The first segment was with Filipino Professor, Writer, and Gawad Urian Awardee, Director Joey Reyes (Batang PX, 1997), (Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo, 2006), (Mano Po, the Series) and Esteemed South Korean Director and Scriptwriter Hong Wonchan (Deliver Us From Evil, 2020), (The Office, 2015) and (Chaser, 2008).
Meanwhile, the second half of the session featured rising South Korean Writer and Director Lee Woojung (Snowball, 2021) and rising independent filmmaker and Editor Director Maria Estela Paiso (Ampangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likol / It’s Raining Frogs Outside, 2022).
The Film Industry Before & After the Pandemic
Moreover, the new FDCP Chairperson and CEO Tirso Cruz III arrived and gave a heartwarming congratulatory message to the directors and the Film festival organizers. Likewise, KCC PHIL Chairman Im Young-A was present to support the event.
“This year marks the 73rd year of friendship of South Korea and the Philippines. A friendship that is built on cultural exchange and mutual support of each other’s artistic goals. After a slow-down during the two pandemic years, we return to a face-to-face celebration of the Korean Film Festival.” – FDCP CEO & Chairman Tirso Cruz III
It took almost three years before the Korean Film Festival could finally hold live screenings again. Given how much the pandemic altered the landscape of filmmaking, Directors Hong Wonchan and Joey Reyes delved into details about the struggles they encountered. They also imparted strategies and learnings to the audience.
The two esteemed directors discussed the growth of Korean Cinema and the aspirations of Philippine cinema. Furthermore, both directors gave the audience and aspiring filmmakers eye-opening messages and advice.
“The two and half years of the pandemic did not only change the film industry. But it changed the way we lived. It changed our concept of entertainment, and how it has affected my industry is as much as it has affected other industries as well.” – Director Joey Reyes
Are you curious what happens behind the scenes of your favorite films? Then catch these award-winning and talented directors on August 11, 1:30PM at the GDCP Cinematheque Centre Manila! #2022KoreanFilmFestival pic.twitter.com/iF20dv3reo
— KCC Philippines (@KCCPHIL) August 3, 2022
On Setbacks and Breakthroughs Part 1
“Filming costs became high and there are many Korean movies that are yet to be released because of the pandemic. There are times when in the middle of a shooting, the production will be halted because of quarantine. We are also having a hard time in choosing a shooting location because of the restrictions during the pandemic.
As well as there are lesser directors and filmmakers who produced movies during the pandemic because of the increase in shooting costs.” – Director Hong Wonchan
According to the two directors, all phases of film production were affected. Mainly because of how much the budget allocation decreased during the pandemic’s peak. They discussed how the pandemic changed the way moviegoers perceived films, and this is an inevitable challenge for filmmakers.
“Before the pandemic, Star Cinema movies would cost about 20-30 million to produce. 20 million being the more conservative movies. Right now, with the absence of people going back to cinemas except for Hollywood blockbusters, the movie industry has been so greatly struck.
That most of the time, the kind of products we come up with, and the kind of content we come up with are for streaming, if not for YouTube. The budget right now for films is between 5-7 million. Which is a very distant calculation from how it was before.” – Director Joey Reyes
Director Joey Reyes also shared their experience where there was a massive infection during the shoot. All it took was one person who was asymptomatic with COVID to infect everybody. Thus, they faced this biggest risk and challenge during the pandemic.
On Setbacks and Breakthroughs Part 2
In particular, fortunately for Director Hong Wonchan, when they were filming Deliver Us From Evil (2020), which was shot in three locations, including Bangkok, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, the world was not in lockdown yet. However, after the movie was produced, the pandemic happened. He was unable to watch his film or share it with moviegoers since the cinemas were closed and everyone was in quarantine.
“When shooting a film internationally, make sure to share the colors and culture of every country.” – Director Hong Wonchan
Subsequently, Director Joey Reyes mentioned that the Filipinos have yet to establish a world market. So that it can be competitive with the rest of the film industry. Indeed, the world is changing, and the film industry needs to evolve to adapt to the world’s contemporary ways. Hence, he praised South Korea for its dedication and talent.
“When you film outside of your country, you are there not as a tourist. You highlight the culture.” – Director Joey Reyes
The world has become the audience of Hallyu films, and it was not an overnight process. This is thanks to the Korean filmmakers’ strategic cultural planning and perseverance. Afterwards, they were asked about their take on both producing films for traditional cinema and Over-the-top platforms.
Both directors stated that OTT is a growing trend. Director Joey Reyes emphasized that there are contents you would want to watch on OTT platforms, but cinema will never die. Because there are films that only movie houses can give you an authentic viewing experience which the small screens could never.
He said that the rise of OTT platforms is a part of evolution, and we cannot stop technology. On top of that, Director Hong Won Chan noted that it is neither better nor bad since there is different content for traditional cinema and streaming platforms.
Thoughts To Ponder On For Aspiring Filipino Filmmakers
Kdramadiary was given a chance to ask a question. The country’s independent films amplify regional stories of our rich culture and heritage. Unfortunately, the Philippine mainstream media is still dominantly Manila-centric. Contrary to this, the Hallyu films highlight their provinces since they maximize their shooting locations and concepts.
With that in mind, we asked Director Joey Reyes what his take on this is and if the Film Development Council of the Philippines plans to promote further the diverse regional colors in future projects of Philippine cinema.
“Philippine cinema cannot be (only) about Imperial Manila. We are a country of more than 7,000 islands with a great variety of cultures. At the Cinemalaya Film Festival happening right now, the short films have created a greater impact than the feature films. And what is important is that the short films, only two are from Manila. In other words, we are opening the doors to regional films.
Because we are realizing that the voice of the Filipino people is not only in the urban areas. It is as important to go out and hear the young voices from the regions. This is one thrust of the FDCP which is to empower the regional Filipino filmmakers to have their voices heard. Because it is about time.”
Before ending the first session of the Korean Film Festival 2022 Directors’ Talk, both Director Hong Wonchan and Director Joey Reyes gave insightful advice to the audience.
“They (South Koreans) love their culture. And I have a feeling that we Filipinos don’t. They are proud of their culture. It’s about time we give reasons ourselves to be proud of our own. That is the only time we can convince the world that we are worth looking at. If we are proud of ourselves.” – Director Joey Reyes
“Don’t focus only on the expectations. It will make other things (complicated) (might go wrong). Communicate with the production team and the staff. That is the responsibility of a director. Not just to focus on the expectations of what will happen. (Focus more on the procedure, not on your expected results.) Don’t focus only on the famous actors.
I hope you also please focus on the characteristics of the movie and the story. I recommend that when you become directors or filmmakers, focus as well on the child actors and supporting characters. Not just on the lead stars.” – Director Hong Wonchan
The Growth Trend of Independent Film
In the second half of the session, the guest speakers, Director Lee Woojung and Director Maria Estela Paiso, are both rising filmmakers in the Independent Film industry. They both shared their experiences in producing their first film ever, Snowball (2021) for Director Lee and It’s Raining Frogs Outside (2022) for Director Paiso.
In particular, Director Maria Estela Paiso has been a film editor for six years now. Her first ever indie short film is showing in the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2022, whereas Director Lee Woojung’s first independent feature film is showing in the Korean Film Festival 2022.
Evidently, Independent films are growing in popularity now. As film creators and directors, they were both asked how they were observing this phenomenon. Director Maria Estela Paiso answered through the lens of post-production. She shared her experience working on different content ranging from mainstream to independent.
According to her, during the pandemic, more independent films and more independent series collaborated with their post-production house. She explained that given the challenges brought by the pandemic, she witnessed how the industry adjusted.
“They made use of what was available, which is like a small budget. Everybody became more creative (because of the pandemic.) The pandemic was so absurd that even I became a director. – Director Maria Estela Paiso
Fueling Film Independence
On the other hand, Director Lee Woojung shared what a South Korean Independent filmmaker being is like. She recounted the journey she had recently embarked on, sharing how she had never had any projects before. What is more, she mentioned the small independent film center in Korea where they receive support.
Although the population of their audience is small, they received sincere support from the loyal, independent film moviegoers there. The indie film enthusiasts there reassured her that there are people who appreciate independent cinema. Furthermore, she shared an overview of how the independent film landscape was before the pandemic and how it changed during the pandemic.
“In Korea, we have a support fee, (developing fee). My movie received production support. This kind of system has been ongoing for a long time ago in Korea. In fact, when I was still in college, I register with my underclassmen and the freshmen in our university to pick a good movie they wish to support. And the support I received may not be very huge (sum of money), but I am thankful for the support I received.” – Director Lee Woojung
Director Paiso. Likewise, she reminisced her beginnings in establishing a career as a filmmaker. After observing the narratives they received in their post-house from 2016 to 2022, she noticed how repetitive the demands and concepts were.
“The art, the structure, the narrative and the emotions, were becoming a little bit repetitive. And then came the pandemic, which overhauled everything. In terms of narrative and taste, everyone was so lost. Everyone made very weird stuff, including me during the pandemic. Because everyone lost control of everything and began questioning the structures already present in terms of cinema.” – Director Maria Estela Paiso
Apparently, she was rejected thrice before finally being able to receive funding for her film. She shared how now, there is a wider support network or system for film development funding compared to when she first entered filmmaking in 2016.
On Gender Equality in Filmmaking
Since the speakers for the second session of the Korean Film Festival 2022 Directors Talk are females, they were asked to advise aspiring female filmmakers. Although Director Lee Woojung admitted that she was shy to give advice because this was her first time as a director, she talked about how she noticed the frequency of this kind of question being asked to her.
“For me, I don’t want to differentiate between male and female directors. Because we are all filmmakers. So, I want to keep trying to erase this (stigma) (stereotype).” – Director Lee Woojung
Correspondingly, Director Paiso was asked the same question. This time, however, regards being a Filipina filmmaker in the Philippines. Like Director Lee, she said she is often asked this question.
“I didn’t become a director thinking that I want to be a female filmmaker. I just wanted to be a filmmaker. I did not have the gender thing in mind. I began discussing this with my team. So, I asked them why do we keep getting this kind of question. Is there really a lack of female filmmakers? or is there a lack of female narratives?
As long as we keep on getting this question it means there is still a problem because people are segregating the female-male (filmmakers). It’s 2022, there are a lot of other things we should care about.”
She questioned if the Philippines is so used to non-female take on things. Particularly patriarchal structures on female narratives. Director Paiso wondered if this was the reason why when the Filipino audience sees content produced by female film creators, they are shocked by it. Ultimately, she said that there is a need for support because there are still female filmmakers who feel intimidated by the proliferation of male filmmakers in the industry.
The Challenges and Fulfillment in Producing Independent Films Part 1
Before concluding the second half of the session, the two female directors entertained a few questions from the audience. Director Lee was asked about the difficulty in distributing independent films locally and internationally. Meanwhile, Director Paiso was asked about her take on the explorative and adventurous ways of the rising young filmmakers.
“There are difficulties such as having a small budget when making independent films. But when there is a huge budget, there are also many restrictions. This includes getting the approval of the producers and sponsors (of the project). Hence, having either small or big budget for the independent film comes with difficulties.” – Director Lee Woo Jung
“Adventure-wise, it is very adventurous. I admit that and accept that. However, in terms of being aware of the current state of the Philippines, for example, my short film is very personal. It is about me and my relationship with my hometown in Zambales, but at the same time, there is a part there that shows the current condition of Zambales. Which is about the West Philippine Sea.
I think because I’m at the tail-end of Gen Z, and my other fellow Gen Z filmmakers, however, no matter how experimental, or adventurous we get we still retain the consciousness. Because the experimental consciousness of the filmmaker is still the current consciousness that we are currently experiencing. We are only putting it to film.” – Director Maria Estela Paiso
The Challenges and Fulfillment in Producing Independent Films Part 2
Kdramadiary was also given a chance to ask the directors a question. We asked them what Snowball’s most challenging and fulfilling part of producing their films was and It’s Raining Frogs Outside. Director Paiso said that the budget gave her team the most difficult because they had to spend a lot of money on RT-PCR tests for COVID during filming.
Moreover, she really wanted to achieve a very authentic and realistic effect on her film, and she did not want to rely only on Chroma or CGI. For that reason, they bought lots of toy frogs and sprayed paint to achieve what they were aiming for in the film.
On top of that, the whole process itself was challenging for their entire production team. And so, she joked that the most fulfilling part was when they could finally export the final file of the film and could finally sleep.
Kidding aside, Director Paiso said that the entire process of making the film was fulfilling. Meanwhile, Director Lee answered that her main challenge in filming Snowball was assessing her capabilities. She was asking herself if she could really take on the project. Besides that, she was pressuring herself to stick to the plan and budget.
In fact, doubts about being a filmmaker cross her mind when she cannot follow through with their set schedule and budget. Nevertheless, she persevered and saw everything through. Now, she is delighted and grateful that her film is included in the movies being screened at the Korean Film Festival 2022.
Kdramadiary would like to thank Korean Cultural Center Philippines for the media invite to the Korean Film Festival 2022 Directors Talk.
Event Covered By: Nathan Llantos and Felicity Anne Marababol
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