MANILA, PHILIPPINES, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 — With a common goal of creating globally appealing content for both global and domestic markets, Philippines, Hong Kong, and United States-based companies have signed an agreement at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival’s European Film Market (EFM) to co-produce a new slate of Asian genre content. 

A partnership that emerged in EFM, one of the top three biggest networking places of the international film and media industries, production companies BlackOps Studios Asia, Story Arch Pictures, Agog Film Productions Limited, and creative agency Psyops8, have teamed up for a lineup of projects. The new co-production partnership also announced that one of the country’s largest media and entertainment networks, the ABS-CBN Corporation, is fully onboard for their new flagship TV prison series Sellblock. 

Part of the Philippine delegation led by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in the EFM, Manila-based BlackOps is overall responsible for gathering the companies together, bringing eleven projects in the lineup including prison series Sellblock. BlackOps founder and CEO, producer and director Pedring Lopez, shares the reason for their focus on such genre content, “As last year’s Squid Game proves, a local production with the right ingredients and production values can resonate phenomenally with audiences worldwide.”

Head of ABS-CBN International Production and Co-Production Ruel S. Bayani provides more insight on ABS-CBN’s involvement in the project, “As one of the leading media and entertainment organizations in the Philippines, creating excellent quality content for global audiences is a top priority for us at ABS-CBN. We’ve chosen to partner with BlackOps for their captivating Sellblock series because it has everything we’re looking for—high-concept, high-drama, high-stakes, and a high-profile international cast.”

The FDCP, led by Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño, strongly supports the production of this slate that advocates for high-quality and globally competitive Asian content. Diño shares her excitement for this development, “BlackOps represents FDCP’s vision for a globally competitive local film and TV  industry where, for example, Filipino films are no longer just showcased in international film festivals but are also being distributed to the commercial markets and enjoyed by audiences worldwide.” 

“We are also pleased to see more collaborations happening among our local production companies like ABS-CBN through co-producing scripted content such as Sellblock. The world is looking for more genre content from Asia; we have to capitalize on this opportunity and be part of the game, which is exactly what BlackOps is doing,” she continued.

Manila-based creative agency Psyops8 is in charge of assisting in the development of these projects. CEO and Head of Creatives Rex Lopez provides additional insights to the project, “In any creative industry, it’s very important for all key stakeholders to be fully aligned on the vision for any given project. What’s great with our combined slate is that the projects that Story Arch and Agog Films are bringing fit excellently with our own, allowing far more synergies than if we are doing them separately.”

Los Angeles-based production company Story Arch Pictures focuses on character-driven action films and TV series inclusive of the Asian diaspora. Founder and producer Jason Lin explains his enthusiasm for this co-production slate, “Stories inclusive of the Asian diaspora are vital and typically hidden in history, so this is an exciting moment in time for audiences today as, at Story Arch Pictures, we bring universally relevant stories inclusive of the Asian diaspora to audiences worldwide.”

Managing the slate investment through its firm’s investor network in Hong Kong and in other major financial cities is Hong Kong-based Agog Films. Founder Guy Orlebar describes the current media landscape for investors saying, “Since 2007, we’ve always positioned Agog Films as a link between the investment community in Asia and the global media industry. And now with the major streaming platforms spending ever larger amounts each year on content making this a true buyer market, it’s never been safer for professional investors to expect to see consistent, steady returns from media projects—which is exactly what BlackOps and Story Arch Pictures bring!”

Movie producer and international casting director Mike Leeder, involved in bringing all parties together, imparts the leverage of the co-production slate, “These stories are truly global in nature. Whereas many of the locations may be set in the Philippines or other parts of Asia, the themes are relevant everywhere. To further accentuate this, we’re bringing recognizable and talented actors from all over the world to join these projects, to truly make these global productions.”

The filmmakers are in discussions with potential distributors for the projects in this Asia co-production slate in the ongoing virtual European Film Market that will run until February 17. 

The full list of projects in the co-production slate are:

BlackOps Studios Asia

• Sellblock - In pre-production (Series)
• Gi - Action Drama - In production (Film)
• Hostile Hour - Action Suspense Thriller - In production (Film)
• Blood Passage - Action Monster Horror - In production (Film)
• LFS - Horror - In production (Film)
• Noriko - Zombie Action - In production (Film)
• The Reaper - Supernatural Action - In production (Film)
• Sniper - In pre-production (Series)
• AOC - Asian Organized Crime - In development (Series)
• Anima Mundi - In development (Series)
• Interquel - In development (Series)

Story Arch Pictures

• V - Action - In development  (Film)
• Fortress - Action - In development  (Film)

Agog Film Productions Ltd

• Spider Hill - Monster Horror - In production (Film)
• Viscous - Biker Gang Action - In development (Film/Series)
• Sagramanda - Sci-Fi Action Thriller - In development (Film/Series)