VICTORIA -- It will be lights, camera and action again for the film industry on Vancouver Island soon, potentially as early as next month.

 

The province says the industry can resume shooting by June, as part of phase three of the economic reopening.

 

Ric Nesh is the producer of a television series that was being shot in Victoria prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. His crew had filmed the first installment of a five-part series, “The Ruby Landry Saga,” before shooting was interrupted by the pandemic. 

 

Multi-awarded film producer-director and socio-civic influencer Romm Burlat has won two major international awards for his two film entries, namely “Cuckoo” and “Agaw-pansin.”

 

The news was relayed recently to Burlat straight from the organizers of the Oniros Film Awards (OFA) 2020 of Vicenza, the capital city of the Veneto region in northern Italy, famous for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site, Olympic Theater City of Palladio.

 

Our production industry faces an unprecedented challenge as countries emerge from lockdowns designed to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and prevent unnecessary burden on local health services.  How to resume filming in a safe and comfortable environment for everyone to do their best creative work.

A look beyond the doom and gloom of filmmaking during the pandemic reveals industry renewal in the making. True to form, several positive takeaways from last week’s Screen Daily / KFTV industry shoptalk  delivered a welcome booster shot for filmmakers continuing to take unprecedented measures to keep cameras rolling on live action in many film hubs worldwide.

2ND UPDATE with more details and reaction, 9:17 PM:: Mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations on film and TV productions now will be allowed, on a restricted basis, under a new agreement reached Monday between Hollywood’s unions and the major companies. The new protocols, they said in a joint statement, will give producers “the option to implement mandatory vaccination policies for casts and crew in Zone A on a production-by-production basis.” Zone A, where unmasked actors work, is the most restrictive of the safe work zones on sets.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 11) — With the entertainment industry among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, film producers told the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs they are barely surviving during this health crisis.

GMA NEWS - Broaden your knowledge of films with the help of these independent theaters. Cinema Centenario is gone (at least its physical cinema), but it doesn't mean that all hopes are lost for film buffs out there. Some of the micro cinemas around Metro Manila are still standing, waiting for a go-signal to resume operations. Of course, no one really knows how our movie viewing experience will look like after the months-long pandemic.

The government is preparing for the entry of international travelers fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to the Philippines. An inter-agency group has been formed to craft the protocols governing the inbound travel of vaccinated individuals based on the latest decision of the government task force in charge of the pandemic response.

Like with the rest of the government agencies in the country and around the world, the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ planned projects, events, and programs this year have been severely affected and this has brought us a new perspective on how to provide services and engage stakeholders.

Now, we continue to render public service and work for the betterment of the film and audiovisual industry.

The agency took the following necessary steps to adapt to what would surely be our new normal for the FDCP and its programs:

On June 7, 2020, Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd, and I, as the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairperson and CEO, signed with immediate effectivity the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2020-001 on the Health and Safety Protocols for the Conduct of Film and Audiovisual Production Shoots and Audiovisual Activities During Covid-19 Pandemic.