The Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen commemorated the 100 Years of Philippine Cinema with a screening of the 1976 award winning film “Ganito Kami Noon..Paano Kayo Ngayon?”.
Special guests were faculty and students of Xiamen University’s (Southeast Asia) Nanyang Institute and other (English speaking) local contacts.
An award winning film by National Artist Eddie Romero, it depicts the story of Nicolas “Kulas” Ocampo (Christopher de Leon) who took a self-discovery journey while exploring the real meaning of being a Filipino. Set in the eras of Spanish and American colonization in the Philippines, the film starred Gloria Diaz, Eddie Garcia and Rosemarie Gil.
The film was well received by the guests, who expressed their admiration for the meaningful message, excellent production and engaging performances of the artists. They looked forward to watching more classic Filipino films offered by the Consulate General.
Consul General Julius Caesar A. Flores warmly welcomed the guests and expressed appreciation on the collaborative undertaking between the Sentro Rizal of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in celebrating this historical milestone as well as further promote Philippines’ rich and diverse history and culture.
Prof. Shi also expressed appreciation for the Consulate General’s gesture in inviting Nanyang Institute which she viewed contributed in furthering the knowledge as well as provided a greater understanding and appreciation of its students taking up studies on Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
The Consulate General will continue to hold a series of film screenings as part of its cultural diplomacy thrusts for 2018 and beyond to showcase more Filipino classic films which will provide a valuable platform for Filipino films to be mainstreamed to local audiences. Earlier in 2015 – 2016, the Consulate General also embarked on a series of film screenings themed “Piling-pili Pelikulang Pilipino” (The Making of the Filipino Nation).
For more information, visit www.dfa.gov.ph, www.facebok.com/dfaphl and @dfaphl on Twitter. END
