Filmmakers, film programmers, and film executives have started arriving in South Korea since Oct. 4 to attend the “Cannes of Asia” at the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and to participate in the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM).
The BIFF, founded in 1996, has been generating cultural milestones, for discovering and nurturing new talents who have gone on to become important voices in Asian cinema.
For the Philippines, we have Lav Diaz’ Essential Truths of the Lake at the ICONS section. The film stars John Lloyd Cruz, Hazel Orencio, Shaina Magdayao, Bart Guingona, and Agot Isidro. The character of Lt. Hermes Papauran (Cruz) searches for the truth as a cop in a corrupt country, angry with how the country’s leader mishandled the war on drugs. Magdayao and producer Bianca Balbuena-Liew lead the Essential Truth contingent.
Moro by Brillante Mendoza is in competition for the Kim Jiseok Award. Its lead cast include Laurice Guillen, Piolo Pascual, Baron Geisler, and Christopher de Leon. The film centers on Magindra (Guillen) who hopes to reconcile two warring brothers and shows the battles of Muslim guerrilla rebels and government forces.
Over at the Asian Network of Documentary Fund, Filipino producer Venice Atienza is bringing in XiXi, directed by Taiwanese Fan Wu. They co-founded Svemirko Film. Xixi was awarded the Documentary Fund by Sundance Institute, Development Prize for the Best Female Director in DOK Leipzig 2020, and was brought in Cannes Doc 2021.
XiXi follows the personal life of an artist, challenging established beliefs, and creating a dialogue on acceptable values. The reflective style gives hope and direction to one’s destiny.
The 26th Asian Project Market selected Daughters of the Sea by Martika Ramirez Escobar, her upcoming second feature film, and Filipiñana by Rafael Manuel, a Singapore-United Kingdom-Philippines co-production for this year’s 30 projects. The Asian Project Market is considered the biggest film investment and co-production market in Asia with a total of 399 submissions from 50 countries.
In the Asian Contents Award, nominated for Best Leading Actor is Arjo Atayde and for Best Reality & Variety is Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho: Mga Sugat ng Pangungulila.
The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) is the go-to marketplace for diverse media content tackling films to audiovisuals, publications, webtoons, and web novels for buying and selling.
It is a co-production market, hosting industry conferences and events, and film production funding programs including the Film Philippines Office (FPO), whose primary aim is to promote the Philippines as a destination for film productions.
In Platform Busan, 10 young filmmakers were sponsored by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to be their scholars to attend the annual event organized by BIFF and ACFM. It welcomes new and emerging Asian independent filmmakers to Busan providing an opportunity of global networking by engaging in master classes and seminars.
Our local filmmakers Ma. Cristina Velasco, Ryan Machado, Margarette Heba Garcia, Christina Marie Catalan, Arjanmar Rebeta, Angelique Mira Ticlao, Mica Oliveros, Christian Joshua Lomahan, Jan-Kyle Nieva, and Lexian Losley Avestruz are some of the country’s representatives to Platform Busan.
We hope that the screenings and markets of Filipino content would create an impact, bringing our talents to worldwide acclaim.