Janella Salvador expressed her disappointment towards a netizen’s “controversial” comment about watching foreign films over local Filipino movies.
The Kapamilya singer-actress took to social media to convey her dismay at people who belittle locally produced films as seen in her repost of Filipino-born Chinese film producer Richard Juan’s exchange with a friend.
“People who think they are too good for local films. It doesn’t make you sound more sophisticated, just straight-up arrogant and condescending,” she stated.
This came after Juan revealed his conversation with a friend who declined his invitation to watch the upcoming romance film “Under Parallel Skies,” which he produced and starred Janella together with Thai actor Win Metawin.
The friend’s response read, “‘[D]i ako nanunuod ng local films sorry, no time for that,” which left Richard disheartened.
The producer expressed his heartbreak over receiving such a response, saying, “Seryoso ba? As a new producer, these words really broke my heart. Ang sakit ❤️🩹.”
Despite being saddened by his friend’s non-support, Richard acknowledged that not every film would resonate with everyone, but for him, to outright dismiss all local films is deeply hurtful.
“I get it, not every film will resonate with everyone, and that’s 100% fine. Criticism is part of it naman talaga. But dismissing all local films outright? Wag naman? Sobrang sakit talaga. 💔,” he expressed.
“But that’s the reality that we live in. When they say they want to watch ‘international films,’ they always think Hollywood films. Pero hindi ba pwede international film din yung Filipino film? 😳,” Richard further said.
The comment did not stop Richard from taking pride in his recent film, mentioning its history-making milestone as the “first Filipino romance film” distributed by internationally-acclaimed film studio, Warner Bros.
“Many eyes globally are on us and the whole Philippine entertainment industry. Because what we have in ‘Under Parallel Skies’ goes beyond simply showcasing actors; but it also celebrates the Filipino and Asian creativity behind the cameras,” the producer described the film.
Richard urged the public to support not just the Filipino film industry but also Asian cinema in general.
“Let’s champion not just Philippine cinema, but also Asian cinema with immense pride,” he said.
