Collaborative film platform in Toronto champions Filipino filmmakers and cinema

Siné Institute president Michaelangelo Masangkay during the launch at Toronto Film School | Photo by Raymond Santos from Masangkay’s Facebook

The last few years proved to be a turning point for Philippine cinema with Dolly de Leon almost bringing home the Golden Globe and the British Academy Film Awards for her supporting actress role in the Palme d’Or-winning film “Triangle of Sadness,” a Mike de Leon retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and a young and extensive Filipino delegation at this year’s Festival de Cannes. Filipino cinema has come a long way.

And to ensure that Filipino cinema goes even further, in Toronto, a non-profit organization just launched a collaborative platform for Filipino filmmakers and talents both in the Philippines and in Canada.

Siné Institute aims to give a platform to upcoming, homegrown, and diaspora Filipino filmmakers to hone their craft and promote their works to a global market through film festivals, theater, and art exhibits.

Its president Michaelangelo Masangkay said, “The value that Sine Institute brings is really providing access [and] film literacy. [It’s] not just making the film but also strategizing and navigating into the international marketplace through festival strategy, co-production, and marketing and distribution.”

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The initiative was officially launched last month with a screening of Jun Robles Lana’s latest film “Anak Ka ng Ina Mo,” which premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. It took place at the Toronto Film School, where Masangkay currently works as its director of production.

The team behind Siné Institute is already working doubly hard as its first film festival is slated for March 2024.