In celebration of the centennial of Philippine cinema, the University of the Philippines Film Institute, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, and in partnership with De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, will be holding Sandaan: Philippine Cinema Centennial Conference. The event will be held on September 14-15, 2017 in two venues—at the UP Film Institute Cine Adarna and the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde Theater.

Spanning a hundred years of filmmaking in the country in the hands of native-born filmmakers starting with Don Jose Nepomuceno in 1917 (with the establishment of his company, Malayan Movies), the history of Philippine cinema has gone through varied, and often tumultuous, periods. Starting during the colonial period under Spanish and American rulers, it has survived a cataclysmic war under the Japanese, enjoyed a boost during the post-war independence, went through the period of martial law, and has transformed in the contemporary digital era. The international conference seeks to address these periods which helped define Philippine cinema.