7 SM cinemas go digital

Nov 22, 2005
Updated 00:01am (Mla time)
Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer News Service

THE COUNTRY'S LEADING cinemaplex chain recently purchased seven digital projectors.

Ric Camaligan, first vice president of SM Leisure Inc., which operates SM Cinemas, told Inquirer Entertainment that the Sharp digital projectors, imported from the United States, were installed in six SM-owned and operated malls.

"There's one each in Podium, North Edsa, Manila, Centerpoint and Southmall, and two in Megamall," Camaligan said.

He explained that SM acquired the projectors in response to local independent filmmakers' adoption of digital technology. Digital movies require less capital. At least two film festivals--Cinemalaya and Cinemanila--focus on the technology by way of encouraging new talents.

Several digital productions have won in international competitions, and three so far have been rated A by the Cinema Evaluation Board and thus granted a 100-percent tax rebate.

"Digital movies are obviously the current trend," Camaligan noted. "SM welcomes this development in support of independent producers."

Delayed

He said installation of the digital projectors was delayed for some time. "We didn't want to place them in the middle of the theaters," he explained. "That would ruin the viewing experience. But we realized that if we installed the digital projectors at the back or in the projection rooms, we would need long trough lenses."

After the short delay, Camaligan recounted, they finally found the special lenses. The projectors were first used for the showing of the entries in the digital competition of the Cinemanila International Film Festival last October.

"We used them for the screenings in SM Manila and San Lazaro," he said.

Pioneer

Shortly before SM Cinemas banned R-18 films last year, Camaligan pointed out, it was the first to show an independent digital movie directed by a Filipino--Cris Pablo's "Duda."

"But that time, the filmmaker brought his own projector [an EPSON EMP8300] to the theater," Camaligan recalled. "So I told him when we met again at the Cinemalaya [last July] that SM was about to open its own digital moviehouses."

Said Coreen Jimenez, co-director of the Cinemalaya Best Screenplay and Best Sound winner, "Big Time": "SM is very supportive." Most independent filmmakers don't have the budget to blow up their movies for film projectors. SM's move, Jimenez said, was a "big boost."

"Big Time" begins its theatrical run on Jan. 11, 2006.

Challenge

"We are still in the exploratory stage," Camaligan admitted. "Hopefully there'll be more digital films produced in the next few months."

As for the mall's policy on R-18 movies--two Cinemanila entries ("Ilusyon" and "Matthew, Mark, Luke & John") were thus classified--Camaligan stressed that SM was flexible.

He explained: "As of now, R-18 films are not giving us [sufficient] revenue. If things turn around, as businessmen, we will adapt. That's our challenge to filmmakers: Produce quality R-18 movies that will do well at the box office."