MANILA–The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) celebrates this year’s World Intellectual Property Day by conducting a lecture series on Film Distribution, Intellectual Property Rights and Pitching Essentials from April 26 to April 27, 2019 at Novotel Manila Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. This event is made possible in partnership with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) supported by the Department of Trade and Industry-Expert Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
In-depth workshop sessions and a pitching showcase will be conducted during the event to help raise awareness about the Filipino filmmakers’ Intellectual Property (IP) rights and opportunities and to support the growth of the local film industry.
Martin Gallery
An international sales agent with over 20 years of experience in the film industry, Martin is a passionate film lover and deal maker who is driven by finding the sometimes elusive “sweet spot“ where art meets commerce.
Starting work at a video shop in suburban Sydney at age 16, Martin has always been surrounded by movies in his professional life and it was this early exposure to the distribution landscape that got his career started.
During a 13-year stint at legacy Australian home entertainment distributor 21st Century Pictures, Martin quickly rose to the level of General Manager where he oversaw all acquisitions—attending markets such as Cannes and AFM as a buyer and also co-acquiring titles with top independent Hopscotch Films, now owned by global mover-and-shaker eOne—as well as marketing and sales into the retail and rental channels.
During this time, he sat on the Board of Directors for the major Australian film festival the Mardi Gras Film Festival for three years, helping in some small way to galvanize the festival’s place in the cultural landscape of Sydney.
Fast forward to 2012 and Martin spent three years at Gold Coast-based distributor Pinnacle Films where he oversaw the acquisitions, marketing, and distribution to cinemas for titles, such as DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, JOBS, PREDESTINATION, and others.
Since 2015, Martin has had the pleasure of being a key member of Michael Favelle’s team at International Sales Agency Odin’s Eye Entertainment—currently in its 11th year, where he is the Head of International Sales and Distribution and sustains a particular focus on Asia and leading European territories. In this role, Martin attends over 6 international film markets a year, pitching the features Odin’s Eye have acquired ROW rights for which run the gamut of budgets, genres, countries of origin, and languages. He contributes crucial skills, experience, smarts, and contacts to acquire titles at any stage of development, to raise finance for projects Odin’s Eye are involved in at producer or EP level, and to release features into local cinemas, should the need arise.
Linda Gonzali
Concluding her 25th-anniversary in the Capital Markets, Linda Gozali (LG) teamed up with his brother Charles Gozali to expand MAGMA Entertainment in pursuant of her overdue passion as Film Producer, following footsteps of the legendary Hendrick Gozali, her father and founder of Garuda Film. Towards the second half of 2016, with Indonesia comes into the limelight by exerting potentially lucrative box-office growth and expanding its localcontent market share simultaneously, LG recognises it is time to recapitalise IP content from Garuda Film as well as MAGMA’s very own by forming up partnerships and collaborations across Asia in pursuit of global achievements, financial harvest, and respectable recognition.
Having produced features which won various critics’ acclaims, such as “Finding Srimulat” (2013), “Nada Untuk Asa” (2015), and “Juara” (2016), MAGMA just launched “Satria Dewa Gatotkaca” in February 2019 as the first feature film among eight from Satria Dewa Universe based on Indonesia’s legendary “wayang” (folklore) of Mahabharata.
Atty. Louie Calvario
Mr. Calvario is an Attorney at the Office of the Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). He conceptualizes and implements copyright programs and activities, which involve information dissemination, advisory and technical assistance to various copyright sectors. He also supervises the copyright deposit system and accreditation system for collective management organizations.
He represents IPOPHL at legislative committee hearings, trade negotiations and various fora, as resource person on issues involving copyright law and intellectual property rights in general.
He participates in meetings, trainings and workshops on copyright and emerging IPR issues organized by international organizations like the World Intellectual Property Organization.
He was formerly the Chief of the Dispute Settlement Division of IPOPHL, in charge of mediation of intellectual property rights cases. He also served as a Hearing Officer of the Bureau of Legal Affairs of IPOPHL from 2004 to 2006.
He is a graduate of the San Sebastian College Institute of Law in Manila with a degree of Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and finished his Masters of Law (LLM) at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law.
Josel Fajardo
Josel Fajardo is a director and cinematographer of various short films with multiple awards attached to his name. In 2017, he won the Gold prize in Viddsee Juree Awards Philippines with his short film “Caterwaul” and in 2018, he was part of the Cinefilipino Short film festival with his short film “Boyet Loves You.”
Josel was one of the participants of the Latino American Training Center, Global Film & TV program in Los Angeles along with other directors from different parts of the world. He is currently working towards making his first feature length directorial debut.
Armi Rae Cacanindin
Armi Rae Cacanindin is one of the few film producers in the Philippines specializing in international co-productions. She’s pitched projects at international film labs and pitching platforms, such as Talents Tokyo IDFA Forum, La Fabrique des Cinema du Monde, TorinoFilmLab, DMZ Docs, and Cinefondation’s L’Atelier, and also to local film festivals and production companies.
Her two projects in development, “Whether the Weather is Fine” by Carlo Francisco Manatad and the creative documentary “Aswang” by Alyx Arumpac, have recently received the prestigious Aide aux Cinemas du Monde, back-to-back.
Currently, she heads the productions of films and series of Globe Studios.
To further push Philippine cinema forward to meet international standards, FDCP partnered with various agencies and gathered local and international speakers to orient filmmakers about the best practices on selling local films to an international market. Sessions include a Masterclass on Film Distribution with Martin Gallery, the Head of International Sales and Distribution at Odin’s Eye Entertainment’s (Australia), a Discussion on the Rise of the Indonesian Film Industry with Linda Gozali, a film producer at MAGMA Entertainment (Indonesia), Intellectual Property Rights: 4 Case Studies with Atty. Louie Calvario, an attorney at the Office of the Director General of the IPOPHL, and a Lecture on Pitching Essentials with Armi Rae Cacanindin, a film producer at Globe Studios.
Twenty (20) Filipino film projects were selected to participate in a pitching showcase. One (1) project will be awarded the Best Pitch and will have the chance to go to Los Angeles to take part in a four-day Film and Television Immersion Course courtesy of the MPA. Participants will present to the panel, which includes FDCP Chairperson and CEO Mary Liza Diño, Martin Gallery, Linda Gozali, and Armi Rae Cacanindin.
A short film screening and a Q&A session with Josel Fajardo will also be held during the event. Film director and cinematographer Fajardo will share his experience as the Gold Winner of the Viddsee Juree Philippines 2017.
