MANILA, PHILIPPINES, MAY 26, 2021 — The bright and inviting possibilities of filming in the Philippines and co-producing with Filipino companies were highlighted in the Country Showcase spearheaded by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) at the inaugural LocationsConnect Live Webinar of the India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC).

LocationsConnect is an online marketplace for Indian filmmakers and content producers to discover local and international locations and establish a global community of locations stakeholders from more than 50 countries, including tourism offices, production service companies, and film commissions. The 1st IIFTC LocationsConnect Live, held on April 16, drew more than 75 delegates from 57 companies and representatives from over 45 Bollywood studios.

FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño promoted the country’s beautiful and diverse locations as well as its pleasant and generous skilled workers. She then discussed the four FilmPhilippines Incentives offered by the national film agency: Film Location Incentive Program (FLIP), International Co-production Fund (ICOF), ASEAN Co-production Fund (ACOF), and Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX). She also mentioned the FDCP Safe Filming Program, which advocates the compliance of film productions to government-prescribed health and safety protocols.

FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño

Technical Consultant Agathe Vinson of the FDCP’s FilmPhilippines Office spoke about the FilmPhilippines Incentives in greater detail, and she and Diño addressed concerns and queries during the live Q&A. The Country Showcase also featured the audiovisual presentation “10 Funtastic Reasons to Shoot in the Philippines.” 

“The India International Film Tourism Conclave is a time-honored tradition of connecting the world’s producers, filmmakers, film commissions, and production companies with India and its cinema players and platforms. We applaud the efforts of the IIFTC to commence with this gathering and continue to find ways of how we can all create, work, and watch together,” said Diño.

She recalled the Cultural Exchange Programme between the Philippines’ National Commission for Culture and the Arts and India’s Ministry of Culture in October 2019. The Memorandum of Agreement, signed during the official visit of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, covered cooperation on culture and the arts, including film and archives. 

“This comes into mind right now as we imagine the exciting prospects of working with India in the field of cinema. We continue to hope for a film co-production treaty between India and the Philippines to become a reality very soon,” added Diño, who lauded India as a country of enormous talent and resources with the distinction of having the largest film industry in the world. 

The 1st LocationsConnect Live had two other Country Showcases headlined by Portugal and Kenya. Film Commissioner Manuel Claro of the Portugal Film Commission and Blue Sky Films Africa Head of Production Hemal Shah presented their country’s respective film incentives. 

The IIFTC webinar, hosted by Hugo D’Souza, also featured the Opening Remarks of LocationsConnect Live Founder Harshad Bhagwat and the presentation of Jaiprakash Rengarajan, professionally known as JP, of All Around Globe Portugal.