As we draw closer to the date of the lifting of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in the National Capital Region, the local audio-visual industry is becoming more restless. Some are excited, others are confused, while the rest are still scared.

The international film festival season always gets a great head start, thanks to the successful conduct of the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, which kicks off every February. Also known as the Berlinale, the first A-List festival of the year comprises the Top 3 of the most important international film festivals together with Cannes in France and Venice in Italy.

Just as more film productions have resumed operations and cinemas have been given the go-signal to operate at limited capacities, we are faced with another hurdle due to the recent surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases and the presence of new virus variants in the country.