For decades, Quezon City has been known as the “City of Stars.” Formerly home to studio giants like Sampaguita Pictures and LVN Pictures during the golden age of Philippine cinema, QC remains a hub of the country’s major television broadcasting networks, radio stations, and film studios.
Last year, Quezon City was internationally recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Film, one of the first Southeast Asian cities to receive the distinction. I recently got a deeper appreciation for the city’s role in Philippine cinema on a “See Kyusi: Byaheng Pelikula” tour. The tour took film students and select media around key film and production sites in Quezon City to celebrate National Heritage Month.
FPJ Studios
Aboard one of QCity’s electric buses, we made our way to our first stop, FPJ Studios. This private facility along Del Monte Avenue aims to preserve the legacy of Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), a National Artist for Film.
One studio room serves as a gallery and mini-museum filled with original hand-drawn posters of “Da King’s” classic films like Asedillo, Isang Bala ka Lang, and Ang Panday. We got up close to his awards, memorabilia, and movie props, including the sword and boots FPJ used as the titular blacksmith.
We also got a look at the painstaking process that goes behind the scenes when digitally restoring films. FPJ Productions continues to preserve, archive, and restore FPJ’s classic films, which viewers can watch for free on YouTube.
Since it mainly operates as a private production facility and film archive, the studio currently doesn’t accept walk-in visitors. However, they’re open for educational tours for larger groups by prior arrangement.
FPJ Studios. 457 Del Monte Ave, Quezon City.
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar Quezon City
Our second stop was Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, a heritage-themed events space and restaurant for a guided tour around the grounds and a hearty lunch of Filipino classics. This hidden gem is located right beside FPJ’s residence along FPJ Avenue (formerly Roosevelt Ave.)
Popular as a wedding venue, this site contains beautifully restored ancestral houses spread around an estate. The space is a smaller version of Las Casas de Filipinas Acuzar heritage resort in Bagac, Bataan, where scenes from General Luna, Goyo: Ang Batang General, and Maria Clara at Ibarra were shot. Las Casas QC offers accessible in-city filming locations for similar historical films, TV shows, commercials, or photoshoots, along with event spaces, heritage houses, a chapel, and a ballroom, all requiring advance booking for events.
Tourists can visit for dining and day tours, with Filipiniana costume rentals in the works. The three restaurants are open to walk-in visitors, but it’s best to confirm special offers and buffet schedules before visiting.
Day tours start at P500, inclusive of plated kakanin and a welcome drink. Entrance is free for restaurant diners from Monday to Thursday. Merienda buffets are offered on Saturdays for P699/head.
Las Casas QC. 134 FPJ Avenue, Barangay Paraiso, San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.
CMB Film Services
Our third stop was CMB FILM Services, Inc., a long-running film and commercial equipment provider working with major filmmakers, television networks, and movie production outfits.
Established in 1986 as a small equipment rental company in Frisco, the studio was founded by multi-awarded cinematographer Conrado “Dengcar” Baltazar, a director of photography who worked with Lino Brocka. Among the films he shot were Virgin Forest and Insiang, the first Philippine film ever shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Tour participants got hands-on demos on how to use various hi-tech camera and lighting equipment, including a robotic Cinebot Max, the Super Techno 30 (used in films like General Luna, Bonifacio, and Mallari), and the Panther Easy Rider, an e-bike with a camera mount for tracking and action shots.
CMB Film Services. 5 Ilaw, San Francisco del Monte, Quezon City.
Quezon Heritage House
Our last stop was the Quezon Heritage House, a historic house museum featuring the personal life, memorabilia, and lifestyle of President Manuel L. Quezon, the first President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
The house is the actual reconstructed and preserved former Quezon family residence, transplanted from Gilmore Street, New Manila. Now more easily accessible to the public inside the Quezon Memorial Circle, the preserved architectural details, vintage furniture, and memorabilia here can serve as an inspiration for historical films and set design for classic Filipino movies.
For a better appreciation of the site, tourists might want to watch the film Quezon, the third movie in the Bayaniverse, directed by Jerrold Tarog and produced by TBA Studios, prior to their visit.
The Quezon Heritage House is one of four free museums you can visit inside Quezon Memorial Circle. It’s open from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Quezon Heritage House. Quezon Memorial Circle, Elliptical Road, Brgy. Central, Diliman, Quezon City.
Beyond these sites, Quezon City is home to various filming locations, movie theaters, and micro-cinemas. The city has also been hosting the annual QC International Film Festival for over a decade. Mabuhay ang pelikulang Pilipino!
NOTE: This tour was made possible by the Quezon City Local Government, Quezon City Screen Commission, QCinema International Film Festival, and the Film Academy of the Philippines.
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