FOLLOWING the discovery of a fake Permit to Exhibit (PTE) for the film Tatsulok, directed by Jhonny Bobier, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) released a statement on Thursday warning against “the use of falsified or tampered permits.”
The independent production company behind the film, Tanajuan Pelikula Production, will face the appropriate proceedings subject to due process, according to the statement by the MTRCB.
The planned Aug. 29 screening of Tatsulok at Araneta City’s Gateway Mall 2 has been canceled, a week after its premiere in the same cineplex on Aug. 21 using what the MTRCB called a falsified permit.
Mr. Bobier explained in his own statement, posted on his Facebook page, that the suspended screening “does not cancel the message of a film,” which is billed as a political allegory about Filipino experiences of injustice, inequality, and institutional failure.
“In fact, there is something almost poetic about a film that speaks about silence, power, and control suddenly finding itself at the center of a situation that demands silence, explanation, and attention,” the statement reads. “We will leave the interpretation to the audience.”
The MTRCB noted that, aside from falsified permits, their records showed that the film did not undergo the necessary review and classification, with Tanajuan Pelikula Production itself not registered with the agency.
All films to be shown in public venues in the country have to undergo a review by the MTRCB and then receive a film classification. There are five classifications, ranging from G, which means the film is suitable for viewers of all ages, to R-18, which is restricted to viewers who are 18-years-old and above.
The fake permit was discovered on Aug. 21, during Tatsulok’s premiere, after MTRCB board member Ma. Cecilia Villarosa saw her name listed as one of the purported reviewers, which was untrue.
“Further scrutiny showed that another Board Member’s name was misspelled, the permit had no official MTRCB dry seal, and it was purportedly issued on a date when government work had been suspended due to flooding,” the board said.
MTRCB chair and chief executive officer Diorella “Lala” Sotto added in the statement that the use of a falsified PTE is “a serious violation.”
“No producer or filmmaker may bypass the MTRCB’s review and classification process through fabricated or unauthorized documents,” she said.
It is unclear what penalties or ramifications the production company will face following this warning.
The board reminded the public that individuals and entities engaging in regulated activities in the movie and television industry are required to register with the agency.
Given the fact that Gateway Cineplex did not discover that the permit had been falsified sooner, MTRCB also called on cinemas to independently verify every PTE before allowing any film to be screened.
Tatsulok is made up of three experimental shorts titled Parapo, Sacrifice Valley, and Kalye Bulag. The first segment premiered on its own in May last year as part of the inaugural FAMAS Short Film Festival, for which Mr. Bobier won Best Director. It is available for viewing online for free on Cinemata, a digital platform for social and environmental films.
It remains to be seen if the full-length film will be screened in any capacity following the controversy. In his online statement posted on Aug. 27, Mr. Bobier thanked those who were able to watch, support, question, criticize, and talk about Tatsulok at the premiere.
“Because perhaps the most uncomfortable thing a film can do is not to offend,” he concluded. “It is to make people look. And once people start looking, it becomes considerably harder to convince them that there is nothing to see. Nakikita na nila tayo (They can see us now).” — Brontë H. Lacsamana
