Films and Funding in the PhilippinesBy Rianne Hill SorianoRegardless of the kind of film you want to make, shooting a film requires a serious budget. Nowadays, the independent circuit has found refuge to a number of grant-giving bodies, financing institutions, and film outfits opening their doors to good funding opportunities for filmmakers.
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)The NCCA provides grants to artists, project managers, and organizations with various art programs and events including research, scholarships, festivals, and performance arts and visual arts events. The project proposals pass through different committees (for film projects – via the cinema committee composed of distinguished artists and media practitioners). Once approved by the initial committee, it goes up different levels until the Board gives its final approval. This grant-giving institution requires the proponent to have a detailed project proposal to defend to the committee and have a counterpart funding for the project to be implemented.
Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)The FDCP has been developed to promote and support the growth of the local film industry as a medium and uplift the aesthetic, cultural, and social values of the Filipinos. It also provides a directory of services together with other information about the local film industry for the users who may be a producer, filmmaker, film buyer, film festival organizer, patron, film student, or art/movie/film enthusiast. The FDCP establishes and implements a Cinema Evaluation System to develop incentives and reward systems for the producers based on merit to encourage the production of quality films. It also develops and promotes programs that enhance the skills and expertise of Filipino talents necessary for quality film production. The council invests funds and other assets in such activities or undertakings that promote the development of the film industry, including the production of films, the organization, operation, and maintenance of local and international film festivals and exhibitions, and similar film-related activities and events.
Cinemalaya FoundationEvery year, the Cinemalaya opens its competition to young and budding scriptwriters and filmmakers and gets the top 25 hopefuls as semi-finalists for the Cinemalaya’s feature-length film competition. The 25 semi-finalists are trimmed down to the top 10 best screenplays to be filmed with a seed money amounting to Php 500,000 for each film project. There is also a short film category where filmmakers can submit their finished shorts for screening by the jury and the top shorts will be part of the finalists for the said category as well. During the Cinemalaya Film Festival, the films in both categories are given their much-deserved exposure and vie for the various film awards.
Cinema One OriginalsNow an annual competition for writers and filmmakers, the Cinema One Originals chooses the top five stories (yearly, a general theme required for the story is provided) from the entries and provides them with a seed money amounting to Php 1,000,000 each. Come festival season, the films are exhibited in a number of cinemas and they also vie for various film awards.
Cinemanila International Film FestivalThis annual international film festival initiates projects such as the Boracay Co-production Meeting that provides opportunities for filmmakers to pitch their stories with hopes of getting funding for their films. Such a festival becomes a good venue for a number of pitching sessions, grant-giving projects, and sponsorships through a number of offers from local and international groups, producers, and film committees.
Non-government organizationsFor some non-government organizations, there are media programs in which producing a film becomes a project effectively coinciding with their goals. A good example is last year’s Gawad Kalinga (GK) film entitled ‘Paraiso: Tatlong Kwento ng Pag-asa’ to promote the noble vision and mission of GK through the film medium.
Film outfits open to pitching stories and scriptsThere are film outfits and producers (mainstream and independent) opening their doors to pitching sessions for writers and filmmakers. Nowadays, the options for filming have become more diverse as films now can either be shot digitally or shot on film. The cost of shooting digitally provides better management of production budget allowing more choices and ways to maximize resources for both the producers and the filmmakers.
International institutions and film producersThere are international grants and producers that come to our shores every now and then, and doing extra effort to write project proposals to them especially when they open up for their specific media needs and their film projects becomes another good option. Fine examples of which include the Hubert Bals Fund of the Rotterdom International Film Festival, UNESCO film projects, and Bigfoot Entertainment film projects. They usually announce their film grants and pitching sessions through film and art e-groups, newspapers, magazines, and other venues.
These grants, pitching sessions, and competitions are very competitive. It takes either a top-caliber story/script or exceptional credentials of the filmmaker or both. At times, it takes some sheer luck and some PR skills too in order to climb up the ladder, and at the least, get the chance to pitch the story or get into the final roster of filmmakers to receive the grant/s.
Another way to come up with enough production budget is by knowing the right people, groups, and institutions who can lend you the resources you need – along with some personal funding you can get through your savings or your extra ‘rakets’ with your talent fees dedicated for your film (and most of the time, even though you have a grant or an independent producer, you still need to shell out some personal funding and do extra efforts to seek sponsors and x-deals). Sometimes, there are opportunities for concepts and stories coinciding with a season or an event that you can take advantage of in order to get subsidy for your film. Or perhaps, there can be simple, minimalist concepts for a film that you may actually produce yourself.
If you’re a budding artist starting to break in, the struggle may be really tough, but it’s all about hard work plus knowing the right people, groups, and institutions, and coming up with good initial works to back you up in building your credentials. It’s may be a chaotic world out there, but that’s the way it goes… if you are determined to fulfill your dream, you have to struggle until you finally reach that goal.
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