UPV Cinematheque to be inaugurated

A film theater to showcase modern masterpieces, modern genre and avant-garde films, claimed documentaries and short films for studies and analysis by students in the arts and the humanities and related studies. It will also be an archival museum for film memorabilia, props, conceptual arts and storyboards that will be useful in developing interest in the craft of film-making.

These and more are why University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) has endeavored to put up the UPV Cinematheque in its campus in Iloilo City.

It was only last year when the UPV Cinematheque Project was formally launched by the UPV Office of Alumni Relations as one of its major projects in line with the UP Centennial Celebration.

And now, because of the generosity of donors, the mini-theater stands at the Iloilo City campus and will soon be inaugurated on December 19, 2009. UP alumna Salvacion Zaldivar-Perez (AA 54), Governor of Antique, was instrumental in sourcing the funds for the 3M building. As for its interior, it took UP connections again to have it furnished.

Solomon Exmundo (BS Mining Eng’g ’65) and Nilda Lopez-Exmundo (BSFS ’65 MPA 69) are both UP alumni. Together with their son Oliver, they have been responsible for furnishing the interior of the cinema to include the aircon units, projector, sound systems, chairs, and even bathroom fixtures.

The Iloilo-born Oliver is a Senior Animator at Weta Digital. Weta is the New Zealand-based outfit that created the visual effects of the world-famous The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Oliver is a graduate of the Etobicoke School of Arts in Toronto, and the Ontario College of Arts and received his Diploma in Classical Animation from the Sheridan College in Ontario.

He started his professional career as an animator at the Foundation Imaging in Los Angeles which produced television series such as Starship Troopers, Max Steel, and Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future. He moved on to join the TV network Nickelodeon which produced Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. He moved to New Zealand in 2002 to join Weta Digital. His film credits include the following: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; I-Robot; King Kong; X-Men: The Last Stand; Eragon, The Water Horse, and, most recently, James Cameron’s Avatar due for release in December 2009.

The UPV Cinematheque will also serve as a venue for screening a wide array of movies ranging from landmark films in cinematic history to non-mainstream, art or foreign films worthy of study but suitable and recommended for family viewing.

Because the current generation of viewers has been denied many noteworthy early films due to their unavailability and their lack of commercial value, the Cinematheque will provide a film collection that will allow them the opportunity to discover this bygone era by reviving the “Sunday Night Matinee” family viewing sessions.

The UPV Cinematheque also aims to develop and enrich the moviegoer’s passion and appreciation for the art of film through the observance of proper film-viewing etiquette and the offer of interesting facts about each film such as: the cast and production crew; awards; groundbreaking artistic achievements in composition, sound and light technology; story and script; acting and staging; and editing.

In the future, the Cinematheque will offer courses in digital filmmaking, film theory and history, master’s classes, and workshops for members embarking on a career or hobby in making movies, whether full length, short film, or documentary.

Fundraising for Cinematheque

To maintain a high standard of excellence, the Cinematheque will be membership driven and will rely on the support of individuals, foundations, corporations and all levels of government.

To show your support, with a P 25,000 gift, you can dedicate a theater chair in memory of a loved one or pay respects to a living person or organization by honoring them with a seat/chair in their name. A plaque with up to two lines will be attached to the chair.

For example, your plaque might say: IN MEMORY OF GRANDMA BY JOHN AND JANE DOE or IN HONOR OF JOHN DOE BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.

You can also purchase a chair in your own name or your Organization’s name to show your support for the mini-cinema: DONATED BY (YOUR NAME) or CLASS OF 1980.

For further information on how you can purchase a chair, please call the UPV Office of Alumni Relations at (033) 336-8837, 509-0596 c/o Almera Facto.

by Lyncen M. Fernandez