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Posted October 16, 2014 by Luigi Cabrera in Lifestyle
 
 

TEATRINO Film Series: A Second Chance For Indie Films

A New Venue For Indie Films

The thing about Cinemalaya films is though they are really great to watch, they are often briefly shown in public or not at all. But thanks to the Teatrino Film Series, people are given another chance to catch these movies. I remember the first time I watched Ang Nawawala. They showed it for a short while and on very limited cinemas. I almost missed it the first time around. Two years later, the Teatrino gave the people the chance to see it again.

The Teatrino Theather will show two films every Saturday for a month. For its first month the Teatrino showed Ang Nawawala and Sana Dati, both were Cinemlaya entries in the past. I bought my tickets the weekend before the first showing. Just have to be sure that my friends and I won’t miss it. Teatrino does allow you to reserve tickets but they will only hold it for 3 days.

I did get the chance to ask director Jerrold Tarog , director of Sana Dati, on how the Teatrino Film Series came to be.

“I initially wanted a venue to do more screenings of SANA DATI since I felt there was still a demand for it. Thankfully, Teatrino management was very open to the idea especially since we have backing from some very generous people who support Philippine cinema.

But to add to that, my colleague Ria Limjap and Ms. Precy Florentino of The Music Museum brought up the idea of sustainability. After all, it would be great to have a regular venue for independent works. So it only makes sense to screen other films aside from SANA DATI.”

When asked on how the movies were chosen and if there was a certain criteria for movies to be screened director Jerrold answered

“ANG NAWAWALA seemed like a good partner for SANA DATI considering the target audience of both films are similar. The only criteria so far is the films have to have a potentially strong draw as we have to reach a minimum amount to be able to cover expenses. Films that are out on DVD won’t be included. “

First Screening Day

TFS Sold out

Sold Out!

The day came for the first screening and as I was walking towards the theater when I saw a line. I actually thought that there would only be a few people but it turns out that both movies sold out.

TFS fullhouse

Full House!

Since I’ve never been inside the Teatrino Theater before, I was just expecting a normal cinema. I was surprised to see what it held inside. It was like being brought back in time of the ancient Greeks. There were pillars on both sides and also a balcony where you can sit and watch the show. But wait, there’s more! Though I find it a little out of place, there is a bar in the right side that serves drinks and popcorn. Now that’s something you don’t see every day.

Teatrino Bar

Yup that’s a bar!

There is no reservation of seats so if you want to get a good spot, you’d have to line up early. I sat in the front row since that’s the only row that has a lot of vacant seats. It was still a good place to sit especially since the screen is smaller than the once in a cinema. The distance in the front is just right especially if you want to read the subtitles. I’d recommend that people should take the seats as near as possible to the screen. You can see the movie clearer and you’ll be able to enjoy the audio more because of the speakers under the stage. It is a great venue to show indie films. Its atmosphere add up to an already amazing movie experience

When I went outside after the movie, there was already another line for the screening of Sana Dati. My advice is if you’re going to catch a film there is to buy your tickets early and line up as soon as you can. I look forward to catching more indie films in Teatrino. Stay tuned in the TFS page to find out what movies they will screen in the future. For my first time here, I must say that it was a great movie experience.

TFS

Thumbs up from me and fellow Flipgeek Euni

 

 


Luigi Cabrera

 
Enthusiast of things geeky, weird, and random. He finds peace in writing.