Inside Pinay-Sex.

com
Maverick filmmaker Amable 1ikoy Aguiluz creates a ground-breaking digital film
about cybersex.
By Heinz Bulos
July 2003

semi-naked woman is gyrating on
the screen while the tune Limbo
Rock` is playing. But it looks like
the scene is being played within a \eb
browser. Cut to another scene o a police
raid. But there`s a sniper cross-hair at the
center, just like the Counter Strike ideo
game.

1hat, by the way, was the trailer o a
moie. 1he images are jarring, like short,
edited ootages rom a news report. 1he
trailer will leae you puzzled. 1here are no
slapping and sobbing. No big explosions.
No unny one-liners. No pretty
landscapes. No clues about the plot. \hat
was tbat

\elcome to the world o Pinay-
Sex.com`, which could ery well be the
most audacious and ground-breaking
moie o maerick ilmmaker Amable
1ikoy` Aguiluz.

1his is the irst lilipino moie to tackle
the hot-button topic o cybersex. More
importantly, as Aguiluz points out, it`s the
irst DV to be shown commercially.`
DV, or digital ideo, is not exactly new.
But the local moies shot in DV ormat
are mainly shorts shown in ilm estials
and underground enues like Brash
\oung Cinema. Aguiluz is making moie
history with Pinay-Sex.com`.

Despite the sot-porn lick image the
moie conjures, Aguiluz says his moie is
simply a loe story, with a twist. It`s
about the conlict between the irtual and
real worlds. 1he premise is that loe is the
only redemption.`

In his director`s statement, Aguiluz
explains, \e elt it was also important to
portray ery releant issues surrounding
today`s youth. As prime moers and
ultimate inheritors o these conerging
worlds, the youth are both empowered
predators and hapless ictims. 1hey are
alie to the Internet`s many back roads
and clearings, its many nuances and grey
areas. And like no other generation
beore, they hae recognized these
nuances and grey areas within themseles.
1hus, the question is asked: are they o a
new morality, a new mind and spirit Or,
as that old song insists, do the
undamental things still apply`

Aguiluz has been trying to put together a
digital moie or the last our years, eer
since he started the highly-successul
international ilm estial, CineManila.
But no one`s buying,` he states, no one
wants to show it commercially.`

le laments the act that neighboring
countries like Malaysia, Indonesia,
1hailand, and Singapore are already ahead
at making digital moies shown
commercially, when we used to be at the
oreront o cinema. Only the
Philippines is not doing it,` he asserts.

Cooking up a revolution
he idea or the story came when a
local Internet porn ring called Net
Ventures International was raided
by the National Bureau o Inestigation
,NBI, and exposed to the media in
December 2002. 1he sensational report
reealed a highly organized, well-unded,
and ery proitable international online
porn business, earning some P100 million
A
1
a year, said to be the biggest online
pornography ring in the country. \oung
lilipinas, in the priacy o a house located
in a plush residential illage, stripped,
lirted, talked dirty, and had cybersex
using Internet chat and ideo, with irtual
clients across the globe. It was sae, it was
clean, and it was big business.

It was also the perect plot or a digital
moie. Aguiluz quickly deeloped a story
and hired two young, up-and-coming
screenwriters who hae a better grasp o
Internet culture to come up with the
script: Angelo Sarge` Lacuesta, a Palanca
awardee, and Jasmin Coles, a inalist in
last year`s CineManila scriptwriting
competition.

le put together his crew, including
director o photography \adi Sugandi,
ilm editor Mirana Medina, and
production designer lector Petilla, to
come up with a resh isual approach.

le rounded up reliable actors Gary
Lstrada ,as Rick, owner o an Internet
ca cum online brothel, \ebdia.com,,
Rey PJ` Abellana ,as Marcus, an NBI
inestigator,, Angelu de Leon, Carlo
Maceda, and Peter Nery. le een got
broadcast news celebrity Ces Drilon or a
bit part.

Ater a long search, he ound the actress
who played Joanna ,chat ID: G-spot_joe,,
the 18-year old lil-Am whose lie has
gone astray, alling into the dark world o
cybersex, where loe is a click and a
credit card number away`. Juliana
Palermo ,a screen name,, known to
riends as July, is a lilipina-American with
no acting experience at all, but auditioned
just or un. 1he dusky, well-endowed,
and liberated beauty it the role perectly
and gae a conincing perormance ,some
parts o the moie were based on her lie,.
She speaks Lnglish, 1agalog, and Visayan
luently. Already, she`s predicted to be the
hottest thing since Joyce Jimenez. \ith
the current crop o orgettable sex
nymphets, she`s a clear standout.
Certainly, she has a smoldering screen
presence and hot, hot sex appeal.

Aguiluz also ound an inestor willing to
gamble.` Maerick lilms head honcho
Lric Cuatico preiously produced
Aguiluz`s critically-acclaimed and box-
oice hit Segurista`. Although he
declines to reeal the budget, Aguiluz
says, Lric gies enough so you won`t
hae to ask or more.` le adds that he
likes working with Cuatico as producer,
whom he describes as hands-o
creatiely.`

Street cred
t`s easy or a producer like Cuatico to
trust a ilmmaker o Aguiluz`s caliber.
Certainly one o the most respected
directors o our time, Aguiluz has been at
the oreront o alternatie cinema in the
Philippines and in Asia.

lis credentials are impressie. le`s a
graduate o Comparatie Literature and
line Arts at the Uniersity o the
Philippines-Diliman. le studied
ilmmaking at the New \ork Uniersity
and ilm archiing at the Library o
Congress lilm Archies in \ashington,
DC and the Museum o Modern Art in
New \ork, through a John D. Rockeeller
III grant. le took up urther ilm studies
and training in ilm archiing at the British
lilm Institute, through a British Council
grant.

le has worked with some o the greatest
ilmmakers in the country, including
National Artist, Lino Brocka, one o his
obious aorites. In 196, he co-ounded
the UP lilm 1heater, sering as its
Assistant Director up to 1990. le also
I
established CineManila in 1999, and
remains as lestial Director.

Aguiluz began his ilmmaking career in
196 with the 15-minute documentary
Mt. Banahaw, loly Mountain` and went
on to do six more, including lather
Balweg, Rebel Priest` and the uninished
1he Marcos \ears`. 1his background in
documentary ilmmaking relects on his
ull-length eatures, and has become sort
o a trademark.

In Bagong Bayani`, or instance, the
acclaimed moie about the tragic story o
lilipina maid llor Contemplacion, was
shot combining documentary and drama.
Critics lauded the inluence o his
documentary background on ilms like
Rizal sa Dapitan` and Biyaheng Langit`.
It`s the same or Pinay-sex.com, which
Aguiluz says was shot like a documentary.

Going digital
is loe aair with digital ideo
started in the late nineties, le`s,
in act, one o the leading DV
pioneers in Asia. le was part o the irst
Asian digital ilm estial based in
Singapore, called 8arts.com. lis digital
short, 30 Views o Mt. Mayon`, showed
30 iews shot oer a period o 30 hours
recorded on a 30-rame DV cam, had its
Internet premiere in 2000.

1he appeal o digital ideo to ilmmakers
like Aguiluz is apparent. lor one, it`s
perect or guerilla-style ilmmaking. One
major selling point or DV is its lexibility
and mobility. DV camcorders are lighter
and easier to moe around. Aguiluz
explains, \e can shoot easily. \e can go
anywhere. \e just need a small crew. \e
shoot with aailable light.`

Aguiluz`s setup was ery minimal: one
handheld Sony DV camcorder, not een
high-end, and no tripod. lis crew consists
o just 12 to 15 people. ,In some scenes,
25 i you include the atata,. o the arti.ta.,
50 i there are atata,. o the atata,.,` he
chuckles., Shooting took some 30
calendar days.

lor the most part, he was able to shoot
street scenes without getting permits. A
scene in Quiapo, or instance, showed the
relatiely unknown Palermo strolling in
the streets. Conersations o endors and
ortune-tellers with their customers were
captured, without their knowing it. 1here
were no ogling men and smiling ans on
the screen. 1here were no paid extras.
No one noticed,` Aguiluz recalls,
amused, some thought we were doing a
thesis ilm.` Another scene was shot
during an Ll Shaddai prayer rally at night.
1he images captured on ideo were
beautiul and Brother Mike Velarde
doesn`t hae to know.

1he \eb site, Unlollywood.com,
explains other beneits o digital ideo:
One adantage o DV is that it's a
complete system. lrom shooting through
editing, eerything remains digital, at
broadcast quality. \ou can shoot it on
your camcorder, input it to an ordinary
desktop computer, edit it, and then output
again as digital ideo, all without loss o
quality along the way. Direct and simple.`

In contrast, ilm is more like a dia-one
with brilliant qualities, but also a bit
cranky about getting along with anything
else. 1o edit ilm on a computer ,which is
now the usual approach,, you hae to
shoot it, hae it deeloped properly, then
transerred to ideotape and digitized. At
least a couple o extra steps right
there. But ilm doesn't get along well with
sound, either, be it analog or digital - you
hae to hae a synch sound camera and a
separate audio recorder, or go through
tedious post-production looping or
manual synching o wild sound, to inally
l
get picture and dialog back together
properly.`

1his low-cost, digital approach to
ilmmaking ,which is an oxymoron, i you
come to think o it, gies directors more
creatie control. \ou can`t do that with
35mm ilm,` points Aguiluz. \ith a more
expensie budget, producers are much
more cost-conscious and prone to proen
ormulas. Decisions are made by
committee, ideas are culled rom ocus
groups, and scripts are tampered beyond
recognition.

1he most compelling reason or going
DV, o course, is cost. Compared to the
typical lilipino moie studio production
budget o P8-9 million ,P11 million i you
include the prints and marketing
expenses,, shooting in digital only costs a
raction.

A Sony MiniDV camcorder ranges rom
just >600 to >2,000. Its ultra-compact
MicroMV costs between >1,500 to >2,000.
1hat`s a little oer P100 thousand, which
is within reach o een the amateur
ilmmaker.

Unlollywood.com estimates the cost o
10 Panasonic 60-minute Mini DV
cassettes is around >8.24 per hour o
ootage. Contrast that to the cost o a 400
t. roll o 16mm color negatie ilm stock
,including deeloping and transerring the
negatie directly to ideotape or editing,,
which is about >1350.00 per hour o
ootage.

In the article, \ou Oughta Be in Pixels`,
which appeared in Business 2.0, indie
ilmmaker Gary \inick was quoted as
saying that he can produce a digital moie
or a tenth o the cost o an indie ilm
shout on 35mm, as 60-minute ideo
cassettes cost just >10 each, compared
with the >25,000 used or the cheapest
16mm moie. Business 2.0 made a cost
comparison or a 90-minute indie moie
made in about 14 days, concluding that a
digital eature costs at least a third less
than on cheap 16mm ilm.

Aguiluz declines to gie the budget or
Pinay-sex.com. But his Segurista`
reportedly cost only P5 million, so it`s not
unlikely his digital moie, with a smaller
crew, simpler setup, and cheaper
equipment, costs less than hal o that,
een a lot less.

It`s a strong incentie or local moie
producers. Maerick lilms, or instance,
loses money rom the high cost o ilm
production, although manages to make a
gross proit rom other income such as
ideo rights ,based on its 2002 inancial
statement submitted to the Securities and
Lxchange Commission,. Imagine i the
cost o ilm production is cut in hal, by
going digital, the chances o making a
proit just rom operations, i.e. without
other income, increases signiicantly.

It`s the best technology in the world or
the 1hird \orld ilmmaker,` declares
Aguiluz, Look at this technology as the
perect tool or Pinoy ilmmakers at the
moment.`

New renaissance?
here seems to be a new renaissance
in local cinema. A new generation
o ilmmakers is turning up with
resh ideas and new styles. And digital
ideo is pushing the trend urther. \ith
only one out o ten budding directors
gien a studio ilm, according to Aguiluz,
and usually these are sex-oriented ilm
projects, it`s apparent why DV is so
appealing.

DV allows ilmmakers to experiment
cheaply. It lets new directors an aordable
way to produce their work. DV is a global
1
phenomenon. 1here is an explosion o
lilipino ilmmakers partly because o
digital ideo.

lil-Am Matthew Abaya, director o
Lmbracing Madness,` lome,` and
Larthworms`, in a preious interiew
says, \e'e come to realize that we
actually hae an audience out there willing
to tune in` oer the lollywood alternatie
which does not represent us. 1hat's a
strong oice that we hae here. lor the
lil-Am ilmmakers, it shows that there
just might be a market out there. \e're
going to get more attention rom
lollywood with this signiicant market
trend.`

1his is what he says about DV: It is
deinitely not a ad. It's something that is
giing us the ability to do things in an
inexpensie way. It's pretty much taking
oer 16mm right now. \e should take
adantage o this technology.`

Another phenomenon pushing the growth
o digital ideo in the country is the ilm
estial, which includes eKsperim|L|nto
lilm & Video lestial and .MOV. 1hese
enues or alternatie cinema are inally
giing credibility to the phrase ilm
estial`, which has lost its signiicance
with the big-budget, low-quality moies
churned out by the likes o the Manila
lilm lestial and the Metro Manila lilm
lestial oer the years, the highlights o
which are the celebrity parades and rigged
award ceremonies.

eKsperim|L|nto is an annual estial that
started in Seattle, \ashington and now
held in Manila, with screening tours in key
cities in the Philippines. It`s the country`s
irst and only estial dedicated to
screening experimental, underground, and
independent shorts rom all oer the
world. Most o the ilms shown actually
premiered in the estial.

1he estial introduced to lilipino ilm
bus the works o acclaimed lilipino and
lilipino-American directors, such as
Daid Maquiling, whose ilm 1oo Much
Sleep` was nominated or a Someone to
\atch Award rom the prestigious
Independent Spirit Awards.

.MOV, the irst digital ilm estial in the
Philippines, is organized by Khan Dela
Cruz, ounder o lilmless lilms, a Manila-
based digital production company,. It
eatured Silershorts, a short digital
ilmmaking competition or local
ilmmakers. And it screened a ariety o
lilipino and oreign digital moies,
including that o Jon Red and Rob
Nilsson.

1hese new estials truly celebrate the art,
not the business, o cinema, showing the
works o both new and eteran
ilmmakers in the country and across the
globe. 1hey hae also introduced to
lilipino moiegoers new ormats such as
digital ideo and digital animation.

1ogether with oreign embassies ,such as
those o Spain, lrance, Israel, Japan, and
India, that organize their own ilm
estials eery year, these alternatie
enues help broaden the minds and uplit
the standards o local moiegoers, and
proide a break rom lollywood are.

1his is the ultimate goal o Aguiluz`s
CineManila, intended to counteract the
dominance o lollywood by showcasing
the best o Asian and Luropean cinema.
\ith little unding and little support rom
goernment and the local moie industry,
Aguiluz pulled o a successul launch in
1999. And despite the obstacles set by the
Moie and 1eleision Reiew and
Classiication Board ,M1RCB, and
Bureau o Customs ,BOC,, CineManila
continued to thrie. Now, on its ith year,
it has attracted legions o local and oreign
ilm bus with its our-part programming:
\orld, Asia, Local, and Digital. Aguiluz
absolutely considers it a tremendous
success, with attendance rom a mere
three thousand when it started to a
whopping ity thousand last year.

Aguiluz himsel is no stranger to awards
and international ilm estials. lis irst
documentary, Mt. Banahaw, loly
Mountain,` won the Siler 1rophy at the
\oung lilmmakers o Asia lestial.
Boatman` was the Outstanding lilm o
the \ear at London lilm lestial.
Segurista` bagged seeral awards at the
Gawad Urian. It was also the oicial
Philippine entry to the US Academy
Awards or the Best loreign-Language
lilm Category. Rizal sa Dapitan` swept
the Star Awards and won the Grand Jury
Prize at the Brussels International lilm
lestial.
lilipinos hae long made a mark in
international ilm estials. But, in recent
years, they hae become increasingly a
lucratie market or local moie studios.
GMA lilms, or one, has been actie in
the international ilm est circuit, with the
remarkable success o Jose Rizal`. It
ollowed up with Sa Pusod ng Dagat`,
Muro-ami`, and Saranggola`, which
were all well-receied.
1he lure o international ilm estials has
made traditional studios produce moies
speciically to compete in estials, what
Aguiluz calls avg estial`. Some set
their sights on the biggest prize o all-a
trophy at the Cannes lilm lestial.
Ironically, it was a short ilm no one at
home knew about that won the Palme
D`Or or short ilm at Cannes: Anino`
by Raymond Red, surely one o the best
ilmmakers we hae.
In the article Millennial Paradox Bugs
lilipino lilm`, Lito Zulueta gies an
insightul analysis: 1he triumph o
Anino` exposed the allacy o a moie
industry that looked at globalization, or its
crude interpretation o it, as the ticket to
its salation. 1he allacy was to second-
guess what audiences abroad might preer
based on ads in the international ilm
estial circuit and to churn out moies
accordingly. 1he allacy was to make
moies or oreigners, not or lilipinos.
1he allacy was colonial mentality in the
guise o globalization.`
1he problem with local cinema
uch has been written and
discussed about the troubles o
Philippine cinema. \e hae the
third largest ilm industry in the world, yet
it`s a dying industry.

I don`t know what happened to local
cinema,` intones Aguiluz, there`s a big
gap between Lino Brocka to the present.`

1here are three typical bogeymen: the
goernment, lollywood, and pirates. 1he
local ilm industry is probably the most
heaily-taxed industry-30 percent
compared to just 3 percent in other
countries. Add to that the dominance o
lollywood ilms in local theaters. Lery
week, there`s an X-Men, larry Potter, and
Matrix sequel, or a hot new moie starring
1om Cruise, Jim Carrey, and Julia
Roberts. And the big theaters resere nine
out o their ten cinemas to these. 1he,
there`s the unstoppable deluge o pirated
VCDs and DVDs. But the local moie
industry is as much to blame.
So will Philippine cinema surie in the
new millennium` asks Zulueta in his
article. 1he question typiies the paradox
that has been the unique ate o Philippine
ilm. low could a cinema that has
M
produced world masters like Gerardo de
Leon and Lino Brocka come to such a
state as this, just a step away rom
becoming a pariah in international
cinema low could one o the world`s
largest ilm industries agonize about its
surial, but just the same crank out ilm
ater ilm o unmitigated inanity and
hopeless intelligence low could an
industry that has sent one o its members
to the highest oice o the land suddenly
ind itsel groping or means to stae o
the prospect o dissolution 1he answers
to these hae yet to come to a neat
denouement.`
Indeed, what or who will sae Philippine
cinema Aguiluz bemoans certain
indiiduals prone to posturing. 1hese
people, he complains, eel like messiahs,
criticizing established and acclaimed
directors who compromise their art by
making commercial ilms. le explains
that in the moie business, ilmmakers
hae to balance art and commerce. \hen
you ,purposely do, an art ilm, you`e
already made up your mind ,not to make
money,,` he says.

le quips, \ou can`t put down Celso Ad.
Castillo just because you hae a paper bag
with a ie-minute ilm only your
grandmother will loe.` le argues that
such ilmmakers already hae a rich body
o work, unlike some pompous, new,
indie` directors who hae yet to make a
mark. Show what you`e got,` he
challenges, contribute something to
Philippine cinema.`

Aguiluz also cautions categorizing ilms as
indie or art. lilm is still ilm.` In the
same ein, i it`s DV, it doesn`t mean it`s
art.` le adds, 1he problem with DV
,moies, is that a lot is trash.` A moie
should stand on its own merits, in
whateer orm it was made. DV is just
another tool and the output depends on
the hands o ilmmaker.

Digital all the way
eertheless, it i. a powerul tool.
And an increasingly superior one
at that. Admittedly, ilm,
particularly 35mm, still sets the
standard. 1here`s nothing like it,`
Aguiluz stresses.

Unlollywood.com explains: In
comparison to ilm, DV is better than
Super 8, but not quite as good as 16mm
,i nothing else, the resolution isn't there,.
\et still, DV isn't too ar rom 16mm,
especially i lit properly, taking into
account ideo's lower contrast ratio. And
yes, DV ideo can be successully
transerred to 35mm ilm or theatrical
release. It's been done - or ery large
sums o money. O course, no one is
going to mistake the result or something
originally shot on 35mm, that's or
sure. But it can still be quite watchable. I
you're going to shoot on ideo, it might
be best to approach it 1V style -
concentrating on close-ups, where it's at
its best, and aoiding a lot o wide shots.
On the other hand, i you want big istas
or your sequel to Lawrence o Arabia,
you'd most likely want to shoot on ilm.`

A moie like Pinay-sex.com, which
obiously beneits rom close-ups, is well-
suited to DV. Much like digital still
cameras, which are approaching the image
resolution o ilm-based cameras, so do
digital ideo. In act, a quick preiew o
the moie conirms this. \ou wouldn`t
think it was shot with a Sony DV cam.
Aguiluz says he has heard remarks such
as, \hat`s the big deal with DV It looks
like 35mm.` 1hat means the quality is
already acceptable, he says.

Aguiluz takes digital adoption a step
urther by launching a digital campaign or
N
Pinay-Sex.com. \e`re doing our own
campaign using technology.`

lis webmaster, Rolando \uka`
Lucasion ,who plays lranco, a
deranged-what else- webmaster in the
moie, created a \eb site ,www.pinay-
sex.com, that looks like a typical porn site.
Since there`s a more liberal enironment
online, photos were more explicit, posted
in stages rom teasing poses until Palermo
is shown in her ull, naked glory. 1here`s
also an Internet-only ersion o the moie
trailer, again with scenes that will neer
pass the censors` scissors. No doubt it will
be hugely popular.

L-mail, mailing lists, and online orums
are part o the strategy. \hat can be more
iral than e-mail \ell, maybe mobile
phones. So, he`s also adding wireless
technology to his arsenal: MMS clips and
ring tones ,o Limbo Rock`, sure to
make a comeback,

Aguiluz explains he`s using this type o
underground, guerilla marketing because
our producer is not Star Cinema.` 1he
traditional approach to promoting a local
moie is through tabloids and presscons,
usually with a generous amount o
bickering, scandalous remarks, and gossip-
mongering to play up the moie.

1o be sure, the promotion or Pinay-
sex.com includes oline actiities, such as
write-ups about Palermo and the moie in
entertainment columns. Palermo, in act,
was the May coer girl o the bordering
on sot porn men`s magazine llM
Philippines. 1he next time she walks the
streets o Quiapo, she will inally get the
ogling she deseres.

But, gien the limited budget, Aguiluz is
betting on technology to sell his moie to
the intended audience: tech-say lilipino
boys and men who trade photos and
ideo clips o their aorite Playmates and
lilipina celebrities in the bu by e-mail or
on message boards.

Ater all, the promotion or the Blair
\itch Project` was an Internet
phenomenon. Made by amateur
ilmmakers or just >40 thousand, using a
mixture o 16mm ilm and home ideo, it
went on to earn >100 vittiov at the box
oice. Its \eb site was a major reason or
its success.

Aguiluz een considers working with
pirates. Use the pirates to your
adantage,` he explains this i you can`t
beat em, join em` approach. Len as he
predicts that they will burn in hell`, he
acknowledges that the situation is diicult
to control such that he might as well tap
their distribution network. le points at
the case o the controersial Sunshine
Cruz ideo ootage, seen minutes cut
rom an unreleased moie. le explains,
Video can be used to market theatrical
screening. Use the market o pirates to
adertise your ilm.` Perhaps by releasing
certain ootages rom the moie to the
pirates, it will generate enough buzz to get
people to watch the entire ilm in theaters.
Aguiluz argues that watching moies in
the theater remains the top pastime here.
Still, he didn`t take chances. Production
or the moie was highly controlled and
post production, the usual starting point
or piracy, was done oerseas.

1his nonconormist approach bares
Aguiluz`s lair or publicity. lor one thing,
sex sells. 1his, o course, isn`t the irst
time Aguiluz is tackling the subject o sex.
lis irst eature ilm, Boatman`, was a
controersial moie about a lie-sex actor.
Segurista` was about a woman who is an
insurance agent by day and a hooker by
night. 1atsulok` is a loe triangle
between a tattoo artist, a matron who was
a ormer sex worker, and her 20-year old
daughter. Biyaheng Langit` eatures
steamy sex scenes between a gambling
lord`s right-hand man and a bati/ba,av girl.
It was rated X` by the M1RCB twice,
but later approed with cuts. But his ilms
are not about sex, which is oten lost to
censors. Although, in a way, he allows
them to be promoted that way, to draw in
a sure audience.

le also has a knack or picking the
hottest sex siren o the moment: Sarsi
Lmmanuele in 1984 or Boatman`,
Michele Aldana in 1996 or Segurista`,
Amanda Page in 1998 or 1atsulok`,
Joyce Jimenez in 2000 or Biyaheng
Langit`, and now Juliana Palermo.

le also dares to make alternatie, and
usually more acclaimed, ersions o
better-unded and more commercial
moies, such as Bagong Bayani`, which
ollowed 1he llor Contemplacion
Story`, and Rizal sa Dapitan`, which
preceded the big-budget Rizal`.

Redemption?
o, is digital the uture o cinema It
seems so. All our neighbors are
doing it,` Aguiluz states, no one`s
shooting 16mm anymore, except
documentaries.` le adds, 1hat`s where it
is, whether we like it or not, we`re already
here.`

And in the not so distant uture, we will
start watching digital moies in theaters
beamed by satellite. In act, it`s here
already.

Aguiluz is, without a doubt, a digital
conert. lor me, it`s like the discoery o
ire,` describing the impact and
implications o digital ideo. le says
that`s his state o the mind at the moment,
I can`t think o doing a 35mm ,ilm,
unless it`s an epic moie with a big
budget.`

Asked i Pinay-sex.com will set a trend
towards more commercial ilmmakers
getting into digital, Aguiluz replies, I
hope so, i it makes money.` Certainly, i
the moie becomes a critical and
commercial success, it will compel local
producers and directors to ollow suit.
It`s an alternatie to itoito,` points
Aguiluz, reerring to quickie moies made
with small budgets and smaller ambitions.

But Aguiluz, albeit working on a small
budget, is not a man o small ambitions.
lis body o work and contributions to
cinema are a testament to his inluence.

\ill DV inally break the horrible cycle-
high production costs orce producers to
make low-quality moies which result to
poor theater attendance-plaguing the
local moie industry

le may lash out at sel-proclaimed
messiahs, but 1ikoy Aguiluz, with his
small but daring digital moie, just might
spark a digital moie reolution that will
help sae Philippine cinema.



Sidebar:

1IKOY AGUILUZ'S
IILMOGRAPHY
Aguiluz`s background in documentaries
relects on his eature ilm work.

Mt. Banahaw, loly Mountain
,documentary, 196,
\o-yo Man ,documentary, 19,
Boatman ,1984,
lather Balweg, Rebel Priest
,documentary,
Kagubatan, Kaligtasan ,documentary,
1he July 1990 Larthquake ,documentary,
1he Volcano ,documentary, 1991,
Marcos \ears ,uninished documentary,
S
Bagong Bayani, OC\ ,1995,
Segurista ,Dead Sure, 1996,
Rizal sa Dapitan ,Rizal in Dapitan, 199,
1atsulok ,1riangle, 1998,
Biyaheng Langit ,2000,
Pinay-sex.com ,2003,


1IKOY AGUILUZ'S AWARDS &
CI1A1IONS
Most o Aguiluz`s eature ilms hae been
critically acclaimed. lere are just some o
his awards and nominations.

Boatman
Outstanding lilm o the \ear ,London
International lilm lestial,
Urian Nomination or Best Director
Lxhibited at the 1985 London
International lilm lestial

Bagong Bayani, OCW
Urian Nomination or Best Picture, Best
Director

Segurista
Oicial Philippine Lntry, US Academy
Awards ,Oscars, or Best loreign-
Language lilm Category ,Academy o
Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences,
Oicial Lntry ,1oronto International
lilm lestial,
Urian Awards or Best Picture, Best
Director
Star Nominations or Best Picture, Best
Director

Rizal sa Dapitan
Gantimpalang Antonio J. Villegas, Lingap
ng Inang Maynila Award, Raha Sulayman
Award or Best Picture, Best Director
Star Awards or Best Picture, Best
Director
Centennial Award, Kalayaan Award, Best
Picture, Best Director ,lilipino Academy
o Moie Arts and Sciences,
Best \ebsite ,lilm Category, Philippine
\ebby Awards,