Spy Docu Film Wins World IP Day Pitching Showcase

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Genre-bending documentary film project “Looter” by Jayson Bernard Santos bagged the Best Pitch award at a pitching showcase conducted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for the World Intellectual Property Day celebration last April 27, 2019 at Novotel Manila Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Twenty-one (21) Filipino feature and documentary film projects were chosen to join the pitching showcase, and “Looter” emerged as the victor. Director Santos will have the chance to go to Los Angeles to participate in a four-day Film and Television Immersion Course courtesy of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) in Los Angeles, California.

A SineSaysay finalist, “Looter” “melds the story of Naomi Flores and the women of the Philippine underground and espionage in World War 2. Straddling the line between different modes, the film employs creative techniques that are interspersed with archival footage, interviews, and unnerving dramatized sequences.”

Odin’s Eye Entertainment Head of International Sales and Distribution Martin Gallery and "Alimuom" Director Keith Sicat

Meanwhile, Director Keith Sicat impressed the panel during the pitching showcase with his feature film project “Unos,” a sequel to TOFARM Film Festival's“Alimuom,” which became the runner-up.

To help spread awareness about the Intellectual Property (IP) rights of Filipino filmmakers, FDCP also conducted a lecture series on Film Distribution, Intellectual Property Rights and Pitching Essentials. FDCP partnered with the MPA supported by the Department of Trade and Industry-Expert Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to make the event happen.

“Our films hold a lot of promise and potential to compete in the global market. Having events like these pitching showcase and lecture series is a huge help to our filmmakers for them to learn more about tapping into the international audience and have better chances in penetrating world cinema,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Mary Liza Diño.