Cine Sauté

I have always been a fan of movies and film-making. My love affair with film and TV began in my youth. I spent part of my childhood in our province Romblon, in the island municipality of Banton in the middle of the Sibuyan Sea. The remote island had no 24-hour electricity; power is provided at night by a diesel generator operated by the local government and lasts from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. As such, the island had limited access to films and TV. It was the '90s, and for locals to watch a movie, they had to buy or rent a Betamax or VHS tape in Manila, bring it to the island by outrigger boat and view on TV through a Betamax or VHS player. Not everyone on the poor island can afford to buy a player or TV, let alone afford to pay electricity. Those who had these privileges opened movie theaters in their homes where they would show these movies to the public. Our family was one of the few that operated a movie theater in the town. Every day, after school at 4:00 p.m., I would ...