Antoinette Jadaone, Arden Rod Condez call for better cinema etiquette among Filipino moviegoers

Phone use, loud chatter and seat-kicking prompt filmmakers to remind audiences about proper movie etiquette.

These days, it’s not enough for filmmakers to tell compelling and moving stories—they apparently have to teach cinema etiquette, too.

Sadly, it seems Filipino moviegoers need to be reminded every so often about how to behave inside a movie house. This time, acclaimed filmmakers Arden Rod Condez and Antoinette Jadaone took to social media to call out some of the habits that can ruin the cinema experience for everyone else.

Condez, whose films include “John Denver Trending” and “Tumandok,” shared a lengthy post about his recent experiences inside movie theaters, particularly the growing habit of using phones during screenings.

“Sobrang legit. ‘Yong mga bukas ng bukas rin ng phone,” he wrote, recounting how he once found himself seated beside someone who appeared to be taking notes on their phone throughout a screening.

“Tinaas ko ‘yong jacket ko sa pagitan namin para ‘di ako mabother sa ilaw ng phone,” he said.

But phone use was apparently just the beginning. “Meron rin kahapong nagpipicture ng film gamit ang iPad. IPAD!!!!” Condez wrote, clearly stunned by the sheer audacity of it.

He also recalled having to shush a noisy group sitting beside him. “Ako na ang tito, pero ‘di n’yo sala ang sinehan. At ‘di n’yo ikina-cool yan,” he said.

For Condez, part of the solution is learning from the cinema culture of other countries, particularly South Korea, where he said audiences treat films with a greater level of respect.

“We’ve been consuming Korean films for a long time already, sana maadapt rin natin cinema etiquette nila,” he said, recalling how he himself was twice reprimanded while watching films in Busan.

He was once shushed for merely checking the time on his phone and, on another occasion, was tapped by the person beside him after the sound of his opening a bag of chips disturbed the screening.

“Grabe yung regard nila sa pelikula as an art. Parang pumasok rin sila sa isang museum. Walang maingay. It’s just you and that piece of art,” Condez said.

Of course, he acknowledged that there are exceptions. “Unless naman siguro nakakatakot o nakakatawa, ‘wag kang pilosopo lols,” he added.

Condez also encouraged moviegoers to speak up when someone’s behavior becomes disruptive.

“Let’s normalize calling out people inside the cinemas if they bother you,” he said. “’Di ka nagbayad ng pagkamahal para lang pumasok sa sala nila.”

Jadaone, meanwhile, kept her reminder much shorter but no less pointed.

The “That Thing Called Tadhana” and “Sunshine” director listed three basic rules for moviegoers, beginning with a reminder that buying a ticket does not give anyone ownership of the entire theater.

“Tandaan po natin opo, may tinatawag tayong cinema etiquette kasi,” she wrote.

“Movie ticket lang nabili natin, hindi buong sinehan, opo.”

Her second reminder was even more direct: “Sinehan po ito, hindi mo sala.”

And for those who still need convincing, Jadaone had one final question:

“E kung yung upuan mo kaya ang sipa-sipain ko???”

The two filmmakers may have delivered their reminders with humor, but the message is simple: watching a movie is a shared experience. In other words, enjoy the movie, but remember that everyone else paid to enjoy it, too.

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