BY EMILY VITAL
Bulatlat
Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007
“The MTRCB will never allow the propagation of films which carries dissenting views to the current administration,” said an independent filmmaker whose work is scheduled to be shown at Indie Sine in Robinson’s Galeria December 5-11 but was rated “X” by the board.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) was criticized anew for censoring two short films created by independent film makers.
Southern Tagalog Exposure’s (ST Exposure) A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo and Sine Patriyotiko’s Mendiola have been rated “X” or disapproved from public exhibition by the MTRCB. Said films are part of an eight-film compilation scheduled to be shown at the Kontra Agos Resistance Film Festival on December 5-11, Indie Sine, Robinson’s Galleria.
In an interview, RJ Mabilin, director of A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo, said that the MTRCB justified the rating by saying that the films “undermine the faith of the people in government.”
An animation, which got an honorable mention award from this year’s
Mendiola, on the other hand, is a short documentary critical of the Arroyo government’s calibrated preemptive response (CPR).
Another short film, Holy Bingo, was initially rated “X” but later got a PG-13 classification. The film,
Mabilin said, is critical of the Catholic Church.
Mabilin said, “It goes to show that there exists institutionalized repression. The MTRCB has the final say whether a film should be viewed or not. It will never allow the propagation of films which carries dissenting views to the current administration.”
In September, the MTRCB also rated “X” the compilation of films titled Rights which deals with the human rights situation in the country.
In an email that reached Bulatlat, award-winning director Carlitos Siguion Reyna said, “This is the
latest instance of broad-sided political censorship, so soon after the “X”-ing of similar political short films in the “Rights”… also, so soon after the content alteration done by the National Press Club of the Neo-Angono Arts Collective’s press freedom mural.”
ST Exposure’s Mabilin said that they will continue to resist all forms of censorship. He said they will continue utilizing alternative venues to propagate their films. In fact, A Day in the Life of Gloria Arrovo can be viewed via the Youtube since 2005 (http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=5_x6m_LDryE& feature=related)
Siguion Reyna said that this case is “merely the latest illustration of this government’s view on free expression, truth, and transparency.” Bulatlat
