Wazzup Pilipinas!?
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is
currently at the American Film Market (AFM) 2021, which started November 1 and
will culminate on November 5, 2021. As part of the AFM’s official events and
activities for this year, the FDCP, through UniPhilippines and the
FilmPhilippines Office, hosted a panel discussion about the opportunities
available for international partnerships with the Philippines.
A virtual panel discussion titled "It's More Fun to Film
in the Philippines" was held last Monday, November 1, and was moderated by
journalist and film festival consultant Wendy Mitchell. The panel was made up
of American and Filipino producers and filmmakers who have had experience in
working with the Philippine film industry on international productions,
including Philippine Film Studios, Inc. Executive Producer Jun Juban, Director
Pedring Lopez of Counterplay, writer and producer Scott Rosenfelt, Electric
Entertainment's producer Francis Dela Torre and FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza
Diño, who joined the panel as a resource person to discuss the country's
filming incentives which intend to boost international coproductions and make
the Philippines more enticing as a film location option for international
production outfits.
FDCP Chairperson Diño shared her excitement about the
Agency’s ongoing projects and incentive programs. Through its banner program
FilmPhilippines, the country offers location incentive programs to attract a
range of international film and audiovisual projects for production and post-production,
as well as foreign producers looking to do international coproductions with
Filipino producers. One such incentive is the Film Location Incentive Program
(FLIP), which grants an eligible international project a 20% cash rebate on
their qualified spend in the Philippines. It also provides logistics support
via the Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX), one-stop-shop assistance for
government permits, and interagency endorsements to those coming to shoot in
the country.
UniPhilippines, on the other hand, has several support
programs aiming to help Filipino films and filmmakers, as well as their
international coproducers, intending to reach a global audience by exposure to
international festivals and film markets.
But more than the incentives and support, it is in fact the
people that makes the Philippines an excellent choice for collaboration and
film location. Executive Producer Jun Juban relates, “the best ‘infrastructure’
is the people themselves, the enthusiasm to work… the qualified and well-trained
technical staff.” He also shares that film technical personnel were even
invited to overseas filming projects for their expertise, and then they go back
to the Philippines with even better experience to share with the industry.
Chairperson Diño said that the film industry was one of the
hardest-hit sectors in the Philippines during the pandemic. She adds,
“Participation in festivals and film markets open new avenues to our films and
our filmmakers to have a wider reach. Not only does choosing the Philippines as
a film destination make the country more visible to the world, but it also
helps our economy by creating jobs for our homegrown pool of film workers and
generating revenue for service providers in the country.”
A film market is not only where films are showcased but is
the place where networks are forged, titles acquired, and production and
distribution deals sealed. The AFM has the reputation of being the most
efficient, with more than a billion in US dollars worth of deals closed, both
for completed films and those under production and development. It brings
together a diverse audience of more than 7,000 film industry professionals from
more than 70 countries every November. It is also a venue to discover a global
catalog of available films and projects, attend world-class conferences,
panels, and workshops, and connect with the independent film community’s
decision-makers.
Throughout the five-day networking event, FDCP hosts two
virtual booths at the LocationEXPO and Industry Offices for FilmPhilippines and
UniPhilippines, respectively. Four Filipino films are on market screening as
well, namely: “Hello Stranger” directed by Dwein Baltazar, “Whether the Weather
is Fine” by Carlo Francisco Manatad, “A Hard Day” by Law Fajardo, and “Real
Life Fiction” by Paul Soriano.
Since its first participation at the AFM in 2016, FDCP has
closed numerous deals, acquired remarkable films, and made notable partnerships
in this annual event. AFM will run until November 5, 2021. “It's More Fun to
Film in the Philippines” panel session will be available for replay to
participants of the American Film Market 2021. It can be accessed by logging in
to https://afm2021.online/.
To know more about FDCP’s international collaborations and opportunities, you may check out - http://www.filmphilippines.com.
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