The Philippine stand
With the rally cry of ‘Imagination Peoples the Air’, the Philippines opened the 2025 Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Bookfair) on the evening of October 14, as this year’s Buchmesse’s Guest of Honor. As the world’s leading venue for printed and digital content, the annual event is where publishing experts and representatives of the creative industries, authors, journalists, and culture enthusiasts from around the globe gather to network, to exchange ideas, to negotiate and make decisions, and to discover and celebrate. There’s a little bit of everything during the Buchmesse, and this year was the fruition of a decade-old desire to see the Philippines take on the mantle of Guest of Honor.
Taking full advantage of this window to the international book community, the National Book Development Board of the Philippines worked hand in hand with Senator Loren Legarda to turn this year’s Buchmesse into a thrilling showcase of our literary diversity, of our creative voices, and our vibrant culture - across different forms and interpretations of what constitutes the Arts. To make all of what is cerebrally creative come to life in a physical manifestation of what is truly and uniquely Filipino, a colorful jeepney was even positioned on RoBmarkt plaza and transformed into a stage for encounters, cultural exchange, and workshops.
Sen. Loren Legarda
And at the massive Frankfurt Messe, where the Buchmesse is held, it would be fair to say that with the number of notable representatives of our creative industries who had flown in for the event; from Fiction and Non-Fiction authors, to publishers, to graphic artists and children’s books and Komiks writers, it became more a question of who had not showed up! It seems that no stone was left unturned in making this a glittering showcase of Filipino creativity and imagination, peopling the Frankfurt air.
Upon the invitation of the NBDB, I was fortunate to be among the handful of media representatives flown in for the Buchmesse, attending the Opening Night and the first day of the official Bookfair. Needless to say, the Philippines was making the most of the Guest of Honor status with a Philippine Pavilion where cultural performances and dialogues were scheduled throughout the day, with talks and lectures in the International Hall where the Philippine Stand was located, and with off-location activities - including a city tour that connected to Jose Rizal during his time in Germany, as led by Ambeth Ocampo.
The Manila Bulletin’s Yvette Tan, author and resource speaker at the Frankfurter Buchmesse
Manila Bulletin’s Yvette Tan was one of the authors flown in for the occasion, and she, along with Charlson Ong, led a discussion on The Chinese in Our Stories at the Philippine Pavilion, Forum 1. To make this both relevant and political, it was about integrating their Chinese ancestry in their writing, and how that has changed dramatically in the context of the ongoing West Philippine Sea dispute. I liked this connecting to geopolitical themes, as this territorial dispute is portrayed in Chinese media to the world as the Chinese ‘saving’ natural resources in the face of dynamite-fishing by Filipino fishermen.
Yvette would also be joining Dean Francis Alfar in a discussion on the very relevant topic of Speculative Fiction and AI Narratives. Known for writing about a technological future, these Filipino SciFi/Fantasy authors would be touching on the responsible use of AI in their creative output and the role it could play.
The world of Philippine Komiks
Over at Hall 5 and the Philippine Stand, one could not resist the symposium that was entitled "Philippine Comics at the Fair: A Tale of Many Pages," as it promised to unleash the raw, unbridled energy of Philippine Komiks, in all its forms and permutations. From satire, to superheroes, to love stories and heartbreak, to urban legends and monsters, to artistic depictions of the urban underbelly, and on to alternative universes - it seemed this was one rich avenue of possibility. The fervent hope is that our Komiks writers break into the mainstream to rival countries like Japan, which have made global industries out of their manga and anime. There was even to be a live drawing session by Ian Sta. Maria centered on the ‘Tikbalang in Frankfurt’.
‘What Moves Us’ Film and Literature: Tension and Translation was an engrossing presentation, with Angelo ‘Sarge’ Lacuesta and Tanya Yuson as resource speakers. Sarge talked about his short story "The Errand," its transition to a Cinemalaya film, and how it was shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival earlier in the year. Tanya Yuson is an international film producer whose anime series "Trese" is on constant rotation globally on Netflix. While Sarge was direct and honest about being protective of his short story, and ending up as producer of the film to ensure it’s proper ‘rite of passage’ to feature film, it was endearing to hear a German media person pipe up and enthusiastically ask Tanya if there was a Season 2 for "Trese" in the works.
What was particularly revealing was a tour we were given to one of the top floors of the Frankfurt Messe. As our guide explained, this was the real nerve center of the Bookfair. It was row after row of small tables where agents and publishers would meet to negotiate on global translation rights and representation. This was far from all the cultural presentations, author appearances, and symposiums going on downstairs. This is where the money is being made, and where deals are struck. In fact, the guide was frank enough to say that the Frankfurt Buchmesse is not so much a book fair for authors, as it is known for being one for agents and author representatives striking agreements on rights and multiple deals.
This Frankfurter Buchmesse is truly about ‘worlding’ Filipino creativity and imagination, in the supreme hope of monetizing this, and making our creatives be recognized, and earning for their talent and gifts. We often wonder why there are waves of interest globally for authors coming from a particular country or region - like how there’s been acclaim and popularity for writers from India, stretching from the time of Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, and Vikram Seth, to today, and the likes of Kiran Desai, Arundhati Roy, and Aravind Adiga.
From Claude Tayag’s post, Lexi Schulze, and the author
And really, why not a similar wave for Filipino writers and creatives? And why can’t it be led by our Komiks writers and artists? It’s whatever gets us on the map, and if this Buchmesse participation as Guest of Honor was one step to making that dream a reality, then I’m all for it and throw my full support to the endeavor. I’m just praying no stone is left unturned in making this happen, and the serious business of making deals is also happening!
The NBDB has played its part in making the Philippine participation this year a noteworthy and memorable one. The creatives did their part in showing up and turning the Bookfair into a Filipino ‘fiesta.’ So we can only hope that their representatives and publishers have also done their homework, and will give our Guest of Honor status the ROI (Return On Investment) it deserves.
No comments:
Post a Comment