Cinebuano (2023) is an acclaimed documentary short film about the rich, forgotten history of Cebuano cinema. Its fans include the likes of Cebuana beauty queen Beatrice Luigi Gomez. It is available for free on YouTube with English subtitles.
JL: Why should non-Bisaya people should be interested in your film?
Joaquin Perocillo: Non-Bisaya people should be interested in Cinebuano because it shows that “Filipino cinema” is not just Tagalog cinema. There’s a whole world of regional films beyond what we usually see in mainstream media. Daghan non-Cebuano speakers wala pa kakita’g mga Cebuano films, and this film gives them new titles to watch and appreciate.
JL: Ngano dapat mutan-aw ang mga Sugbuanon sa Cinebuano?
JP: Cebuano speakers should be interested in Cinebuano because it’s all about the history of Cebuano cinema something we should be proud of, pero rarely ma-discuss sa schools, based on my experience studying in Cebu City for 11 years.
Cebu once had a thriving film industry from the 1950s to the 1970s, pero daghan native Cebuano speakers karon dili aware ani. Even recent developments like the Binisaya Film Festival, dili aware ang uban. Areas sauna where the industry was super active, like Colon, dili kaayo ma-feel sa mga tao ang rich film history didto.
It’s important to look back, learn from the past, and inspire a new generation of Cebuano creatives. Daghan talented filmmakers, producers, and actors in Cebu and the whole Cebuano-speaking region. This is an important watch for Cebuano speakers kay the people who can really lift up Cebuano cinema are ourselves and the whole Bisaya community.
JL: Unsay mga fun fact bahin sa paghimo sa salida?
JP: Fun fact #1: The whole raw interview footage is around 5-6 hours long, with most interviews lasting at least an hour each! This is my thesis film sa Mapúa, and thesis films there are only allowed up to 20 minutes. Even sa mga film festivals accepting student works, up to 20 minutes ra usually ang dawaton nila. To make post-production smoother, since ako pud ang editor, I started connecting their statements and basically editing the film in my head as the conversations happened. Then, every time I got home, I’d edit each interview, taking only the bits of statements.
Fun fact #2: [Gihuman namo ang] post-production in just 39 days. Once all six interviews were available, my team and I completed the entire post-production, including editing the film, sound design, music sourcing, color grading, animations, plus the trailer and poster, in just 39 days.
Fun fact #3: The production was split into two cycles, and I kept flying back and forth between Manila and Cebu. The first cycle was in February 2023, and the second from May to June 2023. In July 2023, it premiered at Cineyugto, Mapúa’s thesis defense, and since then it has been screened in film festivals and exhibits until its release on YouTube.
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