In line with its mandate to encourage the production of quality films and promote Filipino filmmaking in international platforms, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will be showcasing four (4) Filipino producers during the Berlinale Co-Production Market through the festival’s Berlinale Co-Production Market Visitor Programme on February 22-26 in Berlin, Germany. 

Following its official press conference held Monday, February 17 at The Podium Hall in Mandaluyong, the sixth edition of the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival is ready to take place this year from March 17 to March 24. The film festival will screen in select cinemas across Metro Manila alongside other events and film talks held in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) that are scheduled to run through the month of March.

A total of 69 honorees were recognized at the 4th Film Ambassadors’ Night (FAN) hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on February 9, Sunday, at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. These included 66 filmmakers, actors, and films that gained international accolades in 2019, plus three Philippine Cinema icons who received the highest honor from FDCP, the Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence Award.

The Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 1, Series of 2020 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is set to take effect soon, on February 29, 2020, Saturday, to be exact. JMC No. 1 is on the guidelines governing the working conditions and occupational safety and health of workers in the audio-visual production industry.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is set to kick off the year celebrating Philippine cinema’s cream of the crop, the internationally award-winning film industry members, at the agency’s fourth annual Film Ambassadors’ Night to be held this Sunday February 9 at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

Set working hours, social welfare benefits, and the “no contract, no work” policy for members of the audiovisual industry are just some of the improvements that will be implemented soon, thanks to the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) signed by the heads of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) on February 7, Friday.

Presented during FDCP’s annual Film Ambassadors’ Night, the ‘Camera Obscura’ award recognizes outstanding representatives of the film industry whose works brought further recognition and appreciation for Philippine cinema, particularly in the international arena, and have inspired the national film industry into reaching greater heights. The award is presented at the final section of the event and concludes Film Ambassadors’ Night. Winners receive a 50,000 peso cash prize alongside their trophy from FDCP for their honors.

Supporters and icons of the Philippine entertainment industry, led by Batangas 6th District Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto, gathered on February 3, Monday, at the Congress Committee Hearing on House Bill (HB) 181 for the proposed occupational safety and health standards (OSHA) act for the film, television, and theater industry of the Philippines. HB 181, called the Eddie Garcia Act, is named after the film and television legend who passed away on June 20, 2019 after suffering a neck injury while taping for a television program and falling into coma.

Following a successful first run in the country last year, 2019’s ‘First Cut Lab Manila,’ a film lab that develops projects through a series of modules headed by industry experts, will be expanding into the broader ‘Full Circle Lab Philippines.’ This year’s Full Circle Lab will build on First Cut Lab Manila’s program—which placed a particular focus on feature-length fiction films—to create a holistic program covering the diverse forms of cinema. Full Circle Lab Philippines comprises of a Fiction, Series, Animation, Documentary, and First-Cut Lab.

The international film festival season is about to kick off with a bang, starting with the first A-List fest of the year, the Berlin International Film Festival or Berlinale. The Berlinale in Germany is among the Big Three of international film festivals alongside Venice in Italy and Cannes in France. It will take place from February 20 to March 1. On its 70th year, the Berlinale is set to welcome back the Filipino contingent headed by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).