News and Updates

MANILA, PHILIPPINES, JULY 6, 2021 — One regional film project and 33 production companies, institutions, and organizations comprise the Philippine representation at the La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut français and Marché du Film of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

Established in 1959 during the 13th edition of the Festival de Cannes, the Marché du Film is the business side of the festival where film industry professionals gather to discover new film projects and gain experience from one of the biggest film markets in the world. 

While the Marché du Film this year will have its onsite events as well, its online platform will cater the same experience in Cannes with live and real-time meetings to facilitate business and networking for film industry professionals from all over the world. For this year’s edition, the Philippines’ total of 37 individual delegates come from the Producers Network and Filipino Film Producers. 

The Philippine delegates are from Atom & Anne Mediaworks Corp., Chimera Visions, Creative Caboose, Digital Dreams Inc., Globe Studios, IndieGo Pictures Entertainment Inc., Rein Entertainment Productions, and RR Entertainment. 

Completing the list of participating companies are ABS-CBN Film Productions, Amaya Films, Animation Vertigo Asia, Inc., Binisaya Movement Inc., Cignal TV Inc., Daluyong Studios, Eichief Media/HFilms, Epicmedia Productions Inc., ERK Productions, Filcor Media and Events Production, Firestarters, Fullhouse Asia Production Studios, Inc., Heartleaf Film Production, Heaven's Best Entertainment, IRONoriel Productions, Ladder Production Films, Lakan Media Creatives, Mandala Video and Event Productions, Micromedia Digital Video Productions, QCinema, Reelabilities Studios, Sine Abreno, Ursa Studios Inc., UXS Inc., and Vineyard Films. 

The delegates will be given access to online events and programs, Marché du Film Online booths and screenings, pavilions and participants’ information, online networking events to meet potential business partners, a 1-year free subscription to Cinando, and a  feature of their company profiles in the Marché du Film publication. The producers at the Producers Network will have access to Producers Network Programs and Meetings. The Marché du Film will run from July 6 to 15 in a hybrid format, while the 74th season of Festival de Cannes is from July 6 to 17 onsite.

“Over the years, the prestigious film market in Cannes has made international partnerships and collaborations available for our filmmakers. This year, regardless of the market being held online, it will continue to provide the same opportunities and experience that will greatly benefit our filmmakers in the industry,” said Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

Meanwhile, “Dancing the Tides” by Xeph Suarez is representing the country in the 2021 edition of La Fabrique, a film lab of the Cannes Film Festival. Suarez’s first feature film is about a Muslim transwoman named Astri, who is living in bliss with her boyfriend Tambulah in their conservative community. As Astri turns 16, her father reminds her that as a “man,” she must honor their tradition by marrying the girl betrothed to Astri.

In 2019, the film project was among the participants in the FDCP’s 1st Southern Voices Film Lab (SoVo Lab) where it received a development fund worth PHP 100,000. In the same year, the project was selected for the First Cut Lab Manila that was also supported by the Agency. 

Suarez was a delegate to the 2019 Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC) and the following year, “Dancing the Tides” was selected for the Pustnik Screenwriters Residency 2020 and Ties That Bind 2020. At the 2021 SoVo Lab Awarding Ceremony in June, it received the Special Jury Prize with a Co-Production Grant worth PHP 500,000.

From July 6 to 17, “Dancing the Tides,” alongside nine other chosen projects, will take part in the film lab, a tailored program to help talented young directors from emerging countries increase their international exposure to create links with various partners. 

The Cannes Docs under Marché du Film invited Daang Dokyu Festival Director Baby Ruth Villarama as a guest speaker for the event “Connecting the Dots: Asian documentaries and their home ground windows” to be held on July 8, while Suarez and producer Alemberg Ang will be part of the pitching session at La Fabrique Cinéma 2021 on July 11 to highlight on Coprocity partnership.

For more information on the Marché du Film, visit https://www.marchedufilm.com/. For the participating Filipino film project in La Fabrique, visit https://www.lescinemasdumonde.com/en/la-fabrique/2021/projet/dancing-tides. 

The Philippine Delegation in the Marché du Film Online:

Producers at Producers Network

• Atom & Anne Mediaworks Corp. - Anne Prado-Magadia, President
• Chimera Visions - Marvin Lyndon Carmelo Matias, Creative Producer / Director
• Creative Caboose - Kim Homer Garcia, Producer
• Digital Dreams Inc. - Danzen Katanyag, President and Producer
• Globe Studios - Pauline Zamora, Producer
• IndieGo Pictures Entertainment Inc. - Vincent Soberano, Director and Producer
• Rein Entertainment Productions - Charmaine Guzman, Producer
• RR Entertainment- Rommel Ricafort, Owner 

Filipino Film Producers

• ABS-CBN Film Productions -  John Paul Abellera, Creative Manager - International
• Amaya Films - Clint Taynan, Manager
• Animation Vertigo Asia, Inc. - Cris Dumlao, Animation Producer
• Binisaya Movement Inc - Gale Osorio, Producer
• Cignal TV Inc. - Aileen Samson, AVP-Syndication and Affiliate Sales Head
• Daluyong Studios - Alemberg Ang, President
• Eichief Media/HFilms - Howard Yambao, Managing Director
• Epicmedia Productions Inc. - April Batican, Producer/ Line Producer
• ERK Productions - Robert Rodriguez, Producer
• Filcor Media and Events Production  - Alan Filoteo, CEO
• Firestarters - Real Florido, Chief Creative Officer
• Freelance Commercial/Content Director and Filmmaker -  Jose Carlos Soliongco
• Fullhouse Asia Production Studios, Inc. - Maricel Ticar Santos, Executive Producer
• Globe Studios - Armi Rae Cacanindin, Producer
• Heartleaf Film Production, Carl Adrian Chavez
• Heaven's Best Entertainment - Harlene Bautista, President
• IRONoriel Productions - Noriel Jarito, Producer/Director
• Ladder Production Films - Andy Denson, Founder, CEO
• Lakan Media Creatives - Maria Lourdes Jimenez, Producer
• Mandala Video and Event Productions - Johanna Kirsten Lagman, Owner/Producer
• Micromedia Digital Video Productions - Keisha Therese Halili, Co-Founder
• QCinema - Ed Lejano, Festival Director
• Reelabilities Studios - Alex Poblete, Producer
• Sine Abreno - Dexter Macaraeg, Founder
• Ursa Studios Inc. - Suzanne Richiardone , Producer 
• UXS Inc - Maria Madonna Tarrayo Bueno, President/CEO
• UXS Inc. - Grace Quisas, Producer
• UXS Inc. - Noemi Peji, Producer 
• Vineyard Films - Raymark Estael, Director

Cover photo features a still from “Dancing the Tides” by Xeph Suarez