MANILA, PHILIPPINES — TBA Studios, one of the leading film production and distribution companies in the Philippines, has acquired the exclusive Philippine theatrical rights to the award-winning film Plan 75.
Written and directed by acclaimed short film director Chie Hayakawa, this critically-acclaimed and lauded dystopian drama made its international premiere in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and won the Camera d’Or Special Mention Prize.
Based on Chie Hayakawa’s segment of the same title from the 2018 anthology film Ten Years Japan, Plan 75 paints a harrowing look at a not-so-distant future when the Japanese government launches a program that encourages voluntary euthanasia for senior citizens to remedy a super-aged society.
The film stars veteran actress Chieko Baisho as an elderly woman whose means of survival are vanishing; Hayato Isomura, a pragmatic Plan 75 salesman; and Filipina actress Stefanie Arianne as a caregiver working overseas to support an ailing daughter back home.
Aside from its multi-cultural cast, Plan 75 also boasts of an international co-production spanning representatives from Japan, France, and the Philippines. It is executive produced by Keisuke Konishi (Happinet Phantom Studios), Eiko Mizuno Gray (Loaded Films), Mizue Kunizane and Hiroyuki Ishigaki (Dongyu Club), Frédéric Corvez and Maéva Savinien (Urban Factory), Wilfredo C. Manalang, George Sommerrock, and Alicia Catubay-Watt (Fusee), and co-produced by Alemberg Ang (Daluyong Studios).
“I am happy to hear the much-awaited news that Plan 75 will finally reach the audience in the Philippines. I am truly grateful to all the Filipino cast members and producers and those who believe in and support this film,” Chie Hayakawa said.
With its theme of family, death, loss, and a sense of community, TBA Studios is confident that the moving drama would resonate with Filipino audiences.
“It’s truly an honor for us to be able to bring this beautiful film to the Philippines. It’s a quiet and understated film, but with a big poignant message that we hope could reach a lot of people,” shared TBA Studios President and COO Daphne O. Chiu.
TBA Studios is known for producing groundbreaking movies such as the historical box office epic Heneral Luna (2015) and mystery thriller Birdshot (2016) among many others.
The acquisition of Plan 75 is part of the company’s strategic plan to continue expanding its library with diverse offerings that cater to a global Filipino audience.
The studio also recently released the Michelle Yeoh multiverse adventure Everything Everywhere All At Once, the award-winning music documentary Fanny: The Right To Rock, and coming later this year is the Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness.
Plan 75 is Japan’s submission for the International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
