Missed your chance to get schooled by master screenwriter Ricky Lee in his last open call? It’s not the end. In fact, apart from his scriptwriting workbook, he has other available resources we can bury ourselves in right now—his own screenplays.
In case you didn’t catch it earlier this year, the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines made some of Lee’s screenplays available for viewing online. In one drive, you can revisit Philippine cinema classics in their rawest form: “Brutal,” “Salome,” “Moral,” “Lihis” and, of course, “Himala”—which was reinterpreted by today’s directors and actors as part of Lockdown Cinema Club. So, if you want to take a 101 on writing for film (or even practice iconic lines, ’cause why not?), let the scripts do the trick.
With closed cinemas and halted shoots, the film industry needs our help now more than ever. The screenplays may be free for viewing, but we can repay the initiative through aiding the beneficiaries of Lockdown Cinema Club. To donate to low-income film workers, check out DGPI or Lockdown Cinema Club for more info.
Read more:
John Lloyd Cruz is making a film comeback—with a Ricky Lee and Lav Diaz
Jerrold Tarog and Dwein Baltazar reveal their honest thoughts on Philippine cinema
Understanding Filipino youth culture through regional cinema
Still from “Himala” (Restored version)