An amazing sight met my eyes as we walked into the Penthouse of Mirax Tower 1 on Chino Roces Avenue. The space was “intimate,” but seated at round tables were some luminaries of Philippine entertainment, business and government. A star-studded affair, one might say, although only a table or two had highly recognizable faces.

The most luminous among them, however, was the First Lady of the Philippines, Liza Araneta-Marcos. A warm, beaming smile met everyone who greeted her. Clearly, the FL is in her element in the creative industries, filmmaking among them.

Already a leading light in the textile and craft industries in the country, FL Liza is showing support for our entertainment sector — an excellent move, if you ask me, seeing how the South Korean “export” of its pop culture via idols, music, TV series and movies has captivated the globe, language barrier notwithstanding.

Today, Korea is no longer just a quiet little Asian country like any one of its neighbors, but one with a distinct identity in the eyes of the world.

And the Philippines? There is no dearth of talent and skill in this country, many still untapped.

Winston Emano, board director and media strategist of the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), told DAILY TRIBUNE how the First Lady, through Gina Godinez, director, producer and MIFF board member, invited the group to a private luncheon sometime in May.

The First Lady, he said, got straight to the point, and one can imagine how likely nonplussed her lunchmates were with the simple question: How do we get an Oscar?

“And everybody looked at me for some reason,” laughed Emano. “So, I said, very succinctly, ‘Madam First Lady, we have to make better films, and we have to spend.’”

“We have to spend,” he reiterated. “It’s a formula that every other country that has had a nomination has followed. And I think…I was talking to somebody earlier…that everybody is trying to be the one-in-a-million shot. And that’s nice and good, if it happens, but it’s better to put up a product that’s consistently good, because then we’re not a one-off, but we will build an appetite for Filipino films.”

Filipino pop culture, Emano opined, “exists in pockets. There may be an appetite for a filmmaker, or film, but it doesn’t translate to an appetite for Filipino film in general.”

The ballpark figure for mounting a campaign to get a film into the awards bodies, Emano said, is $50,000 to $100,000, though that’s on the modest side.

“It’s a start,” he said. It can increase as one’s aspirations rise, “to the millions.”

The MIFF, founded in 2022 by a group led by the journalist-couple Ruben and Janet Nepales, is among the international film bodies taking Philippine movies onto the world stage.

While the Los Angeles-based body is helping open dialogues, increase knowledge and draw attention to our local film industry, “The bottom line is you have to make a good film,” said Emano.

With the valuable support of the First Lady, the industry that is as segregated as our islands can hope to be united in the common goal of attaining global recognition.

Much like the other creative industries in our islands, support from government is a crucial element.

The Marcos Jr. administration recognizes this, with President Bongbong Marcos saying time and again how “a nurturing environment under Bagong Pilipinas” should “revitalize the skills and talents of Filipino artists,” so they can “continue to create, to innovate, to excel,” as he said at the 16th Ani ng Dangal last February.

In her impactful way, the FL has offered such nurturing to our countrymen in these industries — infusing energy and inspiration into fields that continue to flourish and grow.

As the recent gathering among film industry leaders and supporters reiterated: “We give the world our best!”