For Independence Day, I was invited to the MEGA Ball 2026, where this year’s theme, Fashion + Film, celebrated women in cinema. Before introducing Charo Santos-Concio as the evening’s Global Icon awardee, Iza Calzado delivered a speech that deserves to be heard far beyond the ballroom.

Delivered in Taglish and translated here into English for clarity and space, her remarks were both a fierce tribute to women in film and an urgent wake-up call for an industry facing a crisis. “Seven out of every ten Filipinos now watch movies at home. Only two out of ten still line up at cinemas,” Calzado said. “And what they tell me is that they are tired of hearing the same stories. They are sick of formula stories.”

That observation struck a nerve because it cuts right to the heart of the crisis confronting Philippine cinema. As she herself put it, "This is not a eulogy. This is a call."

As president of AKTOR, which advocates for safer working conditions, fair treatment, mental health support, and greater protections for performers and industry workers, and as a co-founder of She Talks Asia, which focuses on women's empowerment and leadership, Calzado occupies a unique position within Philippine entertainment.

"Philippine cinema has always evolved because our women evolved our narratives," she said. "From the suffering martyr to the bold protagonist. From invisibility to agency."

She argued that films remain among our most powerful cultural mirrors.

"Our films reflect who we are as a society. They hold a mirror to our culture and then they dare us to change what we see."

Why audiences stop showing up

I agree with her completely. Philippine cinema is an archive of who we are as a people.

The problem, however, is that preserving cinema as heritage and persuading actual audiences to pay for a ticket are two entirely different challenges.

Calzado herself acknowledged how dramatically audience behavior has shifted.

"Moviegoing has shifted. Yes, it is no longer casual. It is intentional. People now save up for the films that they truly want to see. That means we have to make films worth leaving the house for, worth lining up for, and worth dressing up for, just like tonight."

That was easily the most important observation of the evening.

Modern audiences aren't just choosing between two movies at the mall. They are weighing a movie ticket against Netflix, TikTok, YouTube, gaming, family time, work, and everything else competing for their attention. Even a free screening requires an investment of time, transportation money, and emotional energy.

As a film critic, I constantly ask myself whether a mainstream local release is worth the Grab fare and the hours I could spend elsewhere. It sounds cynical, but it is the exact same calculation audiences make every day.

Viewers know when a film respects their intelligence and when it takes them for granted. When they encounter yet another predictable plot, a recycled cast combination, or a film that mistakes celebrity for storytelling, disappointment accumulates. Eventually, trust erodes.

The trust deficit

Calzado's response was a direct plea for support.

Recalling a conversation with MEGA editor-in-chief Peewee Reyes-Isidro about the many block screenings for The Devil Wears Prada 2, she said: "If only Filipino films could receive that same level of support, perhaps we would have a chance not merely to survive, but to win."

She then challenged the influential crowd in the room.

"Tonight, this room is filled with people who have power, resources, and influence. So please: buy a block screening. Invest in development if you can. Put our actors in your campaigns—not only because of their followers, but because of their craft."

It is a compelling appeal, but blind support alone cannot fix this. Before audiences invest their hard-earned money, the industry has to win back their trust. Trust is earned film by film.

One major roadblock is how the industry handles criticism. Too many actors, producers, and fan communities treat a negative review as a personal attack. Yet criticism is not hostility, but a part of the artistic ecosystem. Blind praise has never built a healthy film culture.

Audiences do not need critics to tell them whether a film works. They know through their own experience. Ultimately, the most honest review is not a newspaper column. It is audience behavior. People either buy tickets or they do not.

The stories we still haven't told

Calzado's speech, however, was not just about economics. It was also about representation and responsibility.

She urged emerging filmmakers to push past tired archetypes.

"Tell stories about the female grip, the queer production assistant, the mother who works as a stunt double, the Visayan science-fiction heroine. Tell the stories that have yet to be told."

She added: "The future is not only about representation. It is also about protection. Fair pay. Safe sets. Ownership."

These issues matter because better stories do not appear out of nowhere. They come from environments where artists and crew members are respected and protected.

That is why the MEGA Ball's Fashion + Film theme felt timely. Yet I remain cautious.

The systemic issues plaguing Philippine cinema go beyond funding. They include gatekeeping, favoritism, clique culture, and a resistance to engaging honestly with failure. Rebuilding audience trust after decades of inconsistency will not happen overnight.

A reason to believe again

Still, despite my skepticism, I was moved by Calzado'ssincerity. Before introducing Charo Santos-Concio, whom she called "the paragon of beauty, brains, and visionary leadership with a heart," she challenged everyone in the room to imagine a better future for Philippine cinema and help build it.

I share that hope.

Audiences have not abandoned the movies. They have become more selective. If Philippine cinema can deliver stories that feel urgent, fresh, and genuinely worth leaving the house for, the support will follow naturally.

Perhaps the first step is not another campaign asking audiences to support Filipino films. Perhaps it is giving audiences a reason to fall in love with them again.

One strategy could be dropping free, original, and high-quality mainstream bite-size films online that are capable of competing with the Chinese vertical dramas dominating local phone screens. By meeting audiences where they already are, the industry can offer a “free taste” and prove that Pinoy entertainment is evolving.

People want escape. We already have the advocacy films, the social-realist works, the experimental pieces, and the indies. But for mainstream filmmaking to survive, it must first give audiences something they cannot resist.

If viewers cannot get enough of it, they will once again sacrifice their time, money, and effort to line up at the box office.