Philippine Cinema wasted no time in keeping the momentum for Filipino projects going global by its consistent presence in various international film festivals, film labs, and project markets.

This global track for Philippine Cinema has come a long way, considering that initiatives and programs were only launched back in 2017 with the Film Development Council of the Philippines. FDCP provided opportunities for us to collaborate with other countries and bring in international film projects in the Philippines through funding grants and incentives.

A lot is really happening within the Southeast Asian region. While reading an article written by former Screen International Asia Editor Liz Shackleton, I got inspired to list down the Filipino films that I was fortunate to have been able to support during my term in FDCP and are now in different stages of development. Two of the just premiered in the top two festivals of North America.

Liz cited, "one of the biggest factors contributing to the growth of Southeast Asian indie cinema has been the emergence of funds supporting regional co-production – in particular, those launched by the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA). But just before last year's autumn festival season kicked off, two film agency chiefs who had been instrumental in the creation of these funds – SFC head Joachim Ng and FDCP chair Liza Dino – left their posts."

Most of the projects on this list were recipients of the FDCP's International Co-Production Fund and Asean Co-Production Fund, which we launched in 2020. Through this program, we supported more than 35 international coproduction film projects, bridging almost 2 Billion pesos in revenue through local production spending since its creation.

With the much-talked about Kenneth Dagatan's "In My Mother's Skin" kicking off this year, I'm listing down the Filipino projects in the pipeline that I personally recommend you watch out for.

"In My Mother's Skin"

Director: Kenneth Dagatan (Philippines)

Producers: Bradley Liew, Bianca Balbuena, Huang Junxiang, Stefano Centini

Production companies: Epicmedia Productions (Philippines), Zhaowei Films (Singapore), Volos Films (Taiwan)

Synopsis: Stranded in the Philippines during World War 2, a young girl's duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy.

Status: Completed, premiered at Sundance Midnight Section 2023

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