Although one could argue the relative merits of each, we would rather take the larger and more controversial stance of stating that film discussion, although heavily promoted, is also seriously trivialized by award-giving. We cannot deny the publicity mileage this generates, especially since the sheer number of award-giving winners could go on for as long as the very last trophy during the very last ceremony still has to be handed out.ġ1011There are six established award-giving groups, as of last count, some of them clearly overlapping in claims and functions. As far as general impact can be gauged, we can safely state that serious film evaluation is performed and sustained primarily by the handing out of awards by various bodies.
It is the level of commentary, however, that leaves much to be desired. Practically all publications acknowledge this widespread interest by devoting regular sections to film, and film commentary is also making inroads in television and radio. To begin with, we observed that the entire spectrum of existent Filipino criticism is evident in film in short, cinema is the most widely discussed art form in the Philippines.
