Film Development Council of the Philippines

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) hosted representatives from Asia for an Asian Film Commissioners’ Network (AFCNet) Board Meeting in Manila on June 23-25, 2010.

 

Delegates from member countries convened in Manila to discuss matters within their respective film industries and brainstormed on projects that can potentially empower the same, as well as the Asian film market as a whole. The Board Members present were AFCNet President Mr. Park Kwang-Su (Busan Film Commission Director) and Kim Soo-Ah (Korea), Ms. Deborah Gabinetti (Director of the Bali Film Office, Indonesia), Mr. Rafayadi Rahman (Senior Executive of Multimedia Development Corporation, Malaysia), Mr. Toshihiko Inoue (Director of the Sapporo-Hokkaido Contents Strategy Organization, Japan), and Ms. Digna H. Santiago (Executive Director of the Philippine Film Export Services Office under the FDCP).

 

The Board Members presented the current state of the film industry in their respective countries. Common issues included: lack of audience patronage due to the massive influx of Hollywood films, lack of funds, marketing and incentives, and censorship. They also discussed the various film festivals held in their countries and the support given by each film commission to their respective constituents.

 

The AFCNet is an organization of professional film commissions and production service companies in the Asia Pacific region. Since its main purpose is to disseminate information on film-related procedures and locations, and to help each member country attract foreign productions to film in their area, Mr. Park suggested a project that would highlight these marketing thrusts and at the same time celebrate AFCNet’s 10^th anniversary in 2013 - a collective project that would address obstacles to the growth of the Asian film industry.

 

The members plan to produce a literary compilation “similar to ‘Paris Je Taime’ and ‘New York, I Love You’,” featuring Asian-made short stories that celebrate the region’s ideas of love. Each country will submit 5-6 synopses that will showcase each territory’s unique shooting sites/tourist spots. Prospective filmmakers who will adopt the stories can then develop these projects in their framed, featured locations. Films like Eat, Love, Pray,  Barrio and Donsol, which were respectively shot in Bali, Indonesia, Bohol and Donsol in the Philippines were cited as examples.  

 

Mr. Park also announced that the topic of the next Asia Film Policy Forum (that will be held in Pusan on October 10-11, 2010) will be the CO-PRODUCTION. He asked the representatives to invite their respective policy makers to attend the forum. This will be the third Asia Film Policy Forum and will be held within the Busan International Film Commission & Industry Showcase (October 10-11), during the 15^th Pusan International Film Festival (October 7 – 15, 2010).

 

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