ABSTRACT Gancio, M.K. (2015). "Philippine Contemporary Regional Cinema: A Narrative Analysis of Regional Filmmakers’ Accounts on the Re-emergence of Regional Films in the 21st Century" Unpublished Master's Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

Regional films’ potential to redefine Philippine cinema demands a discursive space that generates understanding of its re-emergence in the onset of the 21st century. Approached from the perspective established in Gabriel’s Critical Theory of Third World Films and Salazar’s Pantayong Pananaw, this study explored the insights of seven (7) regional filmmakers, one (1) film scholar, one (1) film curator, and one (1) film producer about this phenomenon using Narrative Analysis. In this study, the respondents generally agree that regional cinema has altered the landscape of Philippine cinema despite its marginalized position outside the mainstream film industry. This study revealed that the filmmakers’ need to express their thoughts coupled with technological innovations and initiatives from social institutions prompted the production of contemporary regional films. This study also revealed that financial limitations, unresolved personal issues, and politics were observed in all three areas of filmmaking: production, promotion, and distribution. The question of authenticity and regionalism were also mentioned as current issues in regional cinema. Finally, although this study revealed four (4) criteria to consider in determining a regional film, it concludes that these criteria will continue to evolve; and therefore assigning a fixed definition for regional films or regional cinema at the moment should be avoided.