The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema

by Bliss Cua Lim

Overview

Drawing on cultural policy, queer and feminist theory, materialist media studies, and postcolonial historiography, Bliss Cua Lim analyzes the crisis-ridden history of Philippine film archiving—a history of lost films, limited access, and collapsed archives. Rather than denigrate underfunded Philippine audiovisual archives in contrast to institutions in the global North, The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema shows how archival practices of making do can inspire alternative theoretical and historical approaches to cinema. Lim examines formal state and corporate archives, analyzing restorations of the last nitrate film and a star-studded lesbian classic as well as archiving under the Marcos dictatorship. She also foregrounds informal archival efforts: a cinephilic video store specializing in vintage Tagalog classics; a microcuratorial initiative for experimental films; and guerilla screenings for rural Visayan audiences. Throughout, Lim centers the improvisational creativity of audiovisual archivists, collectors, advocates, and amateurs who embrace imperfect access in the face of inhospitable conditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478027867
Publisher:	Duke University Press
Publication date:	01/05/2024
Series:	a Camera Obscura book
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	392
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Bliss Cua Lim is Professor of Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of Translating Time: Cinema, the Fantastic, and Temporal Critique, also published by Duke University Press.

Table of Contents

Acronyms  ix
Acknowledgments  xi
Introduction. Keywords for Philippine Cinema’s Archival Afterlives  1
1. A Tale of Three Buildings: Marcos Cultural Policy and Anarchival Temporality  51
2. Silence, Perseverance, and Survival in State-Run Philippine Film Archives  76
3. Privatization and the ABS-CBN Film Archives  107
4. Queer Anachronisms and Temporalities of Restoration: T-Bird at Ako  133
5. Informal Archiving in a Riverine System: Video 48 and the Kalampag Tracking Agency  173
6. Binisaya: Archival Power and Vernacular Audiences in Iskalawags  214
Epilogue. Of Audiences and Archival Publics: Pepot Artista  256
Notes  277
Bibliography  339
Index  375

Editorial Reviews

“In this timely and consequential book, Bliss Cua Lim summons a history of Philippine cinema that disrupts settled idioms of archival recuperation, restoration, and reparation. Through a dazzling and detailed analysis of the material, historical, and political precarity of Philippine cinema, Lim centers the afterlives of filmic archives sustained through institutional and community efforts. The Archival Afterlives of Philippine Cinema demands a much-needed cinematic history that conjoins the experiences, histories, and violence of a collective past and present.”

-- Anjali Arondekar, author of Abundance: Sexuality’s History

“Bliss Cua Lim unveils a searing and unforgettable saga of official neglect, false starts, waste, indifference, arcane politics, and amnesia that have tragically deprived the Philippines of so much of its film heritage. She also reveals the extensive grassroots activism, optimism, and spirit of persistence that will ultimately bring a lasting solution. This story will resonate with audiovisual archivists, memory professionals, and cultural advocates around the world.”

-- Ray Edmondson, author of Audiovisual Archiving: Philosophy and Principles

“One of the merits of Lim’s book is that it sheds analytical light on the fault lines of both state and private initiatives when it comes to film archives in the Philippines.”

-- Giovanni Vimercati Journal of Cinema and Media Studies

From the Publisher