Press Release No. 02-2017
Date: 23 February 2017
21 February 2017, Jeddah – The Philippine Consulate General, participating in the 10th Asian Film Festival organized by the Asian Consuls General Club (ACGC) in Jeddah, hosted the Philippine Movie Night on 13 February 2017 at its new premises and screened a Mario J. Delos Reyes movie, “Bamboo Flowers”.
Philippine Consul General Imelda M. Panolong welcomed the guests and thanked them for their indispensable and very much appreciated presence for taking time out on a weekday night to attend the evening to enjoy the movie. She also expressed her thanks to the ACGC working committee for working very hard to make the festival a reality and also conveyed her appreciation to the Consulate’s personnel for all the arrangements and preparations for the night and for making the Philippine Night successful.
In her remarks, she also gave a brief insight about the film Bamboo Flowers, explaining that it has won many awards given by several awards giving bodies in the Philippines. She mentioned that the story highlights the classic values of love of family, resiliency in the midst of adversity, and belief in the gentle and yet indomitable human spirit when faced with a dilemma that challenges ones principles of what is right and what is wrong. She underscored that these are values that are indigent not only in the Filipino but in many of the peoples and societies in Asia.
More than 250 guests including diplomats, other foreign nationals and film lovers, members of the Filipino community, media people, representatives from the Philippine Curriculum Schools based in Jeddah, and the Consulate General’s personnel and their spouses attended the screening. They enjoyed the film and gave a burst of applause at the end, as they said, it had greatly impressed them. Attendees from the Filipino community and the academe were enthralled with the film that provided entertainment with light dramatic moments. They also said that the emotions in the movie are so moving and the words of wisdom touch their hearts and souls. They all agree that the film is highly commendable and worth watching.
Showcasing different Asian cultures, traditions, arts and their diversity, the 10th Asian Film festival, an annual event of the Asian Consuls General Club in Jeddah was officially inaugurated on 23 January 2017 at the Consulate General of Malaysia. It formally ended on 17 February 2017, with the screening of the Indonesian film, “Rudy Habibie,” and the traditional Asian Food Festival at the residence of the Consul General of Indonesia.
For this year, 10 movies from Malaysia, China, Thailand, Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and Indonesia, were screened during the nights of the Festival, majority of which were shown at the auditorium of the residence of the Consul General of Indonesia.
The annual film festival provides the Philippine Consulate an opportunity to promote not only the Philippine cinemas but also showcase the Philippines’ colorful and rich culture, family traditions, personal values and talents. END.
PHOTOS TAKEN DURING THE PH MOVIE NIGHT
13 February 2017, PCG premises
Attendees during the PH Movie Night were entertained by female Consular staff
in their traditional Maranao dance “Kappa Malong-malong”
Consul General Imelda M. Panolong (center) with the PCG officers and some staff
and spouses during the PH Movie Night, 13 February 2017, Consulate grounds.
