MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The FilmPhilippines Office (FPO) of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has selected six films to be grantees in the recently concluded Cycle 1 of the FilmPhilippines Incentives Program, bringing the total amount of incentives for 2021’s first cycle to at least PHP 27.4 million.
The lone Film Location Incentive Program (FLIP) awardee is “Electric Child” by Swiss Simon Jaquemet, produced by 8horses GmbH (Switzerland) with local production company Epicmedia Productions, Inc. The sci-fi drama was approved to receive a 20% cash rebate on their eligible expenses in the Philippines.
The FLIP is a selective fund that requires a minimum qualified production spending of PHP 8 million in the Philippines in order to receive a 20% cash rebate capped at PHP 10 million. The cash rebate will be given to the Filipino line producers involved in the approved foreign productions, provided that they are registered with the FDCP National Registry.
As for the International Co-production Fund (ICOF), three films directed by Filipinos were awarded to receive a selective fund of up to PHP 10 million for full-length feature films that have at least PHP 5 million worth of production expenses spent in the Philippines. Filipino companies in co-production with international productions must be registered with the FDCP National Registry.
Sci-fi thriller “Hunter” by Raya Martin, produced by ACC Cinematografica and Through the Lens Entertainment (USA/Singapore), was awarded PHP 6.2 million. “Whether The Weather is Fine” by Carlo Francisco Manatad, currently in post-production, will receive PHP 2.5 million. The drama on Typhoon Yolanda is co-produced by Filipino companies ACC Cinematografica, Globe Studios, Dreamscape Entertainment, Quantum Films, Black Sheep, and Plan C together with international companies House on Fire (France), AAND (Singapore), KawanKawan Media (Indonesia), and Weydemann Bros. (Germany).
The only animation selection in this cycle is “Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah vs. The Amazonistas of Planet X” by Avid Liongoren. The comedy based on the best selling graphic novel on LGBT superhero Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah was awarded PHP 10 million. It is produced by Rocketsheep Studio, Ghosts City Films (France), Maltu Trading/Hoorakhsh Studios (Malaysia/Iran), and Graham Films (Norway).
Meanwhile, the first recipients of the ASEAN Co-production Fund (ACOF) are two films by Indonesians: “This City is a Battlefield” by Mouly Surya, which was granted PHP 1.2 million, and “Autobiography” by Makbul Mubarak, which was awarded PHP 3.5 million.
The ACOF is a selective fund that can provide up to USD 150,000 (approximately PHP 7.2 million) to a full feature that involves at least one company from an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) country minority or majority co-producing with the Philippines. The director of an ACOF awardee should be of ASEAN nationality.
“This City is a Battlefield” is a historical drama about a former World War II hero produced by Epicmedia Productions, Inc., CineSurya (Indonesia), and Giraffe Pictures (Singapore) while the drama “Autobiography” is produced by ACC Cinematografica, KawanKawan Media (Indonesia), In Vivo Films (France), Potocol (Singapore), NiKo Film (Germany), and Staron Films (Poland).
“On top of seeking to boost the country’s tourism and creative industries by providing filming and co-production funding support, the FDCP’s FilmPhilippines Incentives Program also aims to support Southeast Asian Cinema by creating a fund for ASEAN co-productions with Filipino companies. This is our little way of helping our filmmakers and workers throughout the Southeast Asian region amid these challenging times,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.
The six latest FilmPhilippines Incentives grantees, along with Cycle 1 applicants for FLIP, ICOF, and ACOF, were automatically entitled to avail of the Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX), a special incentive offering a one-stop-shop service that connects international productions to Filipino talents, filmmakers, and companies under the FDCP National Registry and assists local and foreign productions in all government transactions.
The FPO is already accepting applications for FilmPhilippines 2021 Cycle 2, which began on May 3 and will run until July 30. The Selection Committee deliberations will take place in August. Meanwhile, Cycle 3 will be held from September 1 to November 29 with Selection Committee deliberations in December.
For inquiries and consultation requests on how to apply for the FLIP, ICOF, and ACOF, visit www.filmphilippines.com or contact Ms. Mil Alcain at filmphilippines@fdcp.ph.
