Philippine Cinema and the Cultural Economy of Distribution

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. Introduction: Film Distribution in Action

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 1-8

3. Film Distribution in Film Studies

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 9-38

4. The Making of Philippine Independent Cinema

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 39-66

5. Now Showing: The State of Philippine Cinema

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 67-98

6. Distribution and Exhibition as Intermediary Spaces

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 99-130

7. Traditional Film Distribution and Exhibition Platforms in the Formal Economy

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 131-166

8. Emerging Film Distribution and Exhibition Platforms in the Formal Economy

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 167-203

9. The Semi-formal and Informal Economies of Film Distribution and Exhibition

   • Michael Kho Lim

   Pages 205-240

10. The Philippine Film Industry, the State, and Cultural Policy

    • Michael Kho Lim

    Pages 241-270

11. Conclusion: Forward to the Economy, Back to the Culture

    • Michael Kho Lim

    Pages 271-276

12. Back Matter

    Pages 277-284

    PDF

This book explores the complex interplay of culture and economics in the context of Philippine cinema. It delves into the tension, interaction, and shifting movements between mainstream and independent filmmaking, examines the film distribution and exhibition systems, and investigates how existing business practices affect the sustainability of the independent sector. This book addresses the lack or absence of Asian representation in film distribution literature by supplying the much-needed Asian context and case study. It also advances the discourse of film distribution economy by expounding on the formal and semi-formal film distribution practices in a developing Asian country like the Philippines, where the thriving piracy culture is considered as ‘normal,’ and which is commonly depicted and discussed in existing literature. As such, this will be the first book that looks into the specifics of the Philippine film distribution and exhibition system and provides a historical grounding of its practices.

• film distribution
• Philippine culture
• cultural economy of film
• Philippine independent cinema
• cultural economy of the Philippines
• cultural policy development
• formal and informal film distribution economies
• return-to-culture
• Pinoy indie
• dependies
• indiewood
• piracy culture
• film exhibition
• creative industry

“Lim’s rigorously researched book treads a new path between three fields: media industry studies, Asian cinema studies, and cultural policy studies. A highly innovative analysis of a cinema in circulation.” (Ramon Lobato, author of Shadow Economies of Cinema)

“A rich and involving study of film in the Philippines, one that tells us much about the specificities of  a national industry, but also offers a broader theoretical analysis that encompasses the interconnected dynamics of production, distribution and exhibition, the interdependencies of mainstream and indie sectors, and how formal and informal distribution economies are interleaved and entwined.  A comprehensive analysis of a film industry that is continually in-the-making.” (Mark Banks, CAMEo Research Institute for Cultural and Media Economies, University of Leicester, UK)

• School of Media, Film and Journalism, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

  Michael Kho Lim

Michael Kho Lim teaches at De La Salle University, Philippines and Monash University, Australia, handling units in film, media, communications, and cultural economy. An independent film producer, contributing writer, and early-career researcher, he also has extensive experience in the field of cultural and creative industries, holding various leadership roles such as executive director, general manager, and creative and managerial positions in content writing and editing.

Policies and ethics