Among the archivists who grew up in 1980s, Elwood Perez's "Summer Love" was like a Holy Grail in lost movies.
Produced by Regal Films in 1981, the film jumpstarted the teen flick trend and starred the hottest love teams of the era: Maricel Soriano and William Martinez, Gabby Concepcion and Snooky Serna.
Maricel, William, Gabby and Snooky were dubbed "Regal Babies" by producer Lily Monteverde who had always been mindful of the fact that there was no extant copy of "Summer Love."
"When ABS-CBN got the broadcast rights of Regal titles, 'Summer Love' was among the missing ones," Monteverde recalled. "The prints got burned."
Last year, the Society of Filipino Archivists for Film (Sofia) stumbled on a copy of "Summer Love" on U-matic tape.
Recently, Sofia, led by its president Doy del Mundo, met with "Mother Lily," as Monteverde is known in the biz, to discuss the grand unveiling of "Summer Love," at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), on June 11, 6 p.m. (It will be screened along with another "lost" youth film, Dindo Angeles' "Sinta," at 2 p.m.)
The fund-raising screening celebrates the partnership of Sofia and Regal in the campaign for film preservation.
Monteverde is the first local producer to support the group's archiving campaign.
"We need the support of the mainstream industry in our efforts," said Del Mundo.
"As producer, I've come to realize the importance of film preservation. I've worked with some of the best directors, from Ishmael Bernal to Joey Gosiengfiao, from Lino Brocka to Peque Gallaga, from Mike de Leon to Elwood," Monteverde said. "It would be a pity if future generations would not be able to watch these screen gems. The films we did in the 1970s and 1980s were different."
Shot in picturesque Taal, Batangas, "Summer Love" holds special significance for Monteverde. "I visited the set and fell in love with the place instantly. I've always wanted to own a piece of property in Taal."
Three decades later, she got her wish when she opened a rest home, along with the Imperial Resort, in the historic town.
She was declared an adopted daughter of Taal and spearheaded the first El Pasuba Festival last April, which celebrated the town's 439th foundation.
Apart from Taal, the film showcased other summer destinations like Baguio and La Union, too, said Perez.
With the CCP screening of "Summer Love," Monteverde is formally adopting film archiving as a priority project--along with her only other pet cause, Red Cross Million Volunteer Run on Dec. 4.
"At this point, I'm looking for ways to give back to the movie industry which has been kind to me and my family," she said.
Daughter and Regal executive Roselle Monteverde said her mother is personally taking charge of the studio's archives now.
"We've started digitizing our catalogue," said Roselle.
