In 1982, the government's censoring agency was strengthened again, arbitrarily accusing films it believed were not in line with Imelda Marcos's "true, good, and beautiful" campaign of being subversive. Among these films was Bagong Boy Condenado ( New Boy Condenado ) because of its depiction of a girl being raped by a man in uniform and scenes portraying Philippine poverty. Because they dealt with slums, poverty, and other lessthan-beautiful aspects of the "New Society," Brocka's films suffered from government scissors and proclamations. His Bayan ko: Kapit sa patalim ( Bayan Ko: My Own Country , 1985) was disallowed as the Philippine entry in the Cannes Film Festival unless he cut scenes of protest rallies.
With Maynila: Sa mga kuko ng liwanag ( Manila in the Claws of Neon , or The Nail of Brightness , 1975), Brocka forged a new direction in Philippine cinema, one that treated film as art, not bakya : the film introduced a new trend toward realism and social consciousness, experimented with directorial and acting techniques, and developed new talent. In this fold were Brocka, Ishmael Bernal (1938–1996), Behn Cervantes, Eddie Romero (b. 1924), Mike De Leon (b. 1947), and others who tackled issues such as labor exploitation, marginal people in Manila, poverty, national identity, and the unwanted US military bases in the Philippines.
The "new wave" of aesthetically and politically attuned films did not last, dissipated by the regression of film to formulaic, escapist melodrama, action, and bomba types, and the untimely deaths of Brocka and Bernal in the early 1990s. Although the government of Corazon Aquino (1986–1992) dismantled some of the repressive Marcos film infrastructure and legislation, it did little to encourage artful filmmaking or to halt the slide to bakya -oriented movies.
Throughout the 1980s, the Philippines ranked among the top ten film-producing countries of the world, although the number of features continued to drop. The industry was beset with problems, some brought on by the monopolization of nearly all aspects of production, distribution, and exhibition by three film studios—Regal, Seiko, and Viva. Major stars were signed to large, exclusive contracts by the big studios, depleting movie budgets and forcing smaller producers out of existence. Filmmaking was increasingly tainted by what scriptwriter Clodualdo Del Mundo Jr. termed the "stench of commercialism."