FDCP unveils Philippine delegation to Cannes Marchédu Film 2023

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Film Development Council of the Philippines. (FDCP) is leading the Philippine delegation to Marché du Film 2023, the business arm of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which will be held in France from May 16 to 27.

The Philippines will be represented by six feature-length films at Marché du Film and three projects at Festival de Cannes, along with 17 production companies, four Filipino producers, and a Filipina juror in the independently-sponsored Queer Palm award.

Filipino Film Screenings at Marché du Film Four Filipino films will have exclusive screenings at Marché du Film from May 16 to 26, namely: TOPAKK by Richard Somes, Her Locket by J.E. Tiglao, Grace by Ato Bautista, and I Am Ninoy by Vince Tañada. Documentary films Tens Across the Borders by Chan Sze-Wei and Asog by Sean Devlin are also included in the Cannes Docs 2023 program.

TOPAKK (English Title: Trigger), directed by Richard Somes, will be joining the genre-oriented Fantastic Pavilion Galas at Marché du Film. This action-drama film follows the story of a security guard, afflicted with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from previously serving in the army, who finds himself involved in another deadly war.

J.E. Tiglao’s film Her Locket is also included in the Marché du Film Market Screening. It tells the story of Jewel, a mother with dementia, who suddenly recovers an old locket that causes memories from her previous life to return.

Grace by Ato Bautista is a crime thriller film about a college student who decides to seek revenge on men who are involved in his girlfriend’s death, regardless of their powerful positions in the country. Meanwhile, Vince Tañada’s musical drama I Am Ninoy follows 11 characters whose lives resemble that of the late Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.

Across the Borders, directed by Chan Sze-Wei, is part of the Cannes Docs - Marché du Film showcase as a co-production project between the Philippines, Singapore, Germany, and United Kingdom. This documentary feature follows three individuals from Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines as they explore the ballroom scene in New York City and expand the queer community across Southeast Asia.

The Cannes Docs-In-Progress program also selected Sean Devlin’s documentary entitled Asog, a film about a non-binary teacher who embarks on a road trip for a drag pageant and meets communities that are still reeling from the aftermath of previous typhoons in the country.

Filipino Projects and Representatives at Festival de Cannes RIA, directed by Arvin Belarmino, is part of the La Fabrique Cinéma 2023 selection. La Fabrique Cinéma is an initiative to support emerging filmmakers who are working on their first or second feature-length films, and selected candidates will receive individual coaching sessions and funding opportunities for their next projects.

Jan Carlo Natividad’s The Art of Detaching One’s Memory is one of the six chosen projects at the Focus WiP (Work in Progress) 2023 program of Cinéma de Demain. The Focus WiP endeavors to promote short films, currently in production or post-production, to potential distributors and producers who can provide support to filmmakers in the development and finalization of their short films.

Award-winning Filipino filmmaker and writer Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan is also invited to be part of the Cannes Cinéfondation Résidence, which offers directors a personalized program that will aid them in scriptwriting and production. Their respective projects will be presented to producers and distributors after the program.

Moreover, renowned Filipina filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval is selected as one of the jurors in Queer Palm, an independently-sponsored award given to films exhibited at Cannes Film Festival that have made significant contributions to LGBTQIA+ cinema

Filipino Production Companies at Marché du Film

Seventeen (17) production companies have been officially selected by the FDCP to represent their respective companies at Marché du Film to explore possible partnerships with their international counterparts. The FDCP will sponsor their Market Badges which will grant them access to the following:

● Cannes Film Festival’s full screenings and exclusive reruns

● Marché du Film screenings and online platforms

● Free one-year subscription to Cinando and its database of film industry professionals

● Speed meetings for the duration of the event

● Marché du Film publications with chosen delegates’ professional contact details Cannes Producers Network 2023

The Filipino producers chosen by the FDCP to be part of the Cannes Producers Network from May 17 to 22 are Lino Cayetano, the founder of Rein Entertainment that produced. critically acclaimed television series such as Bagman and Betcin, and Benedict Mique, the CEO of Lonewolf Films Inc. that produced the film ML starring Eddie Garcia and Tony Labrusca

Selected producers will receive a Marché du Film and Producers Network accreditation sponsored by the FDCP, as well as a PHP50,000 reimbursable stipend including flight, accommodations, and allowance, subject to proper liquidation, auditing, and accounting.

They will also have access to the following: Cannes Film Festival’s full screenings and reruns, Marché du Film online and in-person screenings, priority badges for both events, exhibitor booths and pavilions, free one-year subscription to Cinando, and conferences, panels, and masterclasses during the festival.

Launched in 2004, the Cannes Producers Network has become an established venue for film producers around the world to foster long-lasting connections and business partnerships, making it a highly anticipated event for the global film industry.

Spotlight Asia

Four Filipino producers have been selected to be part of Spotlight Asia from May 16 to 24, namely: Benedict Mique, Lino Cayetano, FUSEE founder Wilfredo Manalang, and filmmaker and writer Kyla Romero.

Spotlight Asia is a newly launched program that aims to strengthen connections and collaborations between Asian and European film markets. This program includes presentations and panel discussions on future co-production initiatives between Asia and Europe.

The FDCP will be hosting a series of events at Marché du Film such as the Film Philippines Incentives Talk, Philippine Cinema Night, and Full Circle Lab Philippines on Spotlight.

Moreover, the FDCP will organize a Philippine Pavilion shared with the Singapore Film Commission, where Filipino delegates can gather to discuss potential partnerships and expand their networks with film industry professionals from different countries.

The Marché du Film is one of the biggest film markets in the world that is attended by more than 12,000 professionals in the film industry. It aims to promote business partnerships and collaborations involving financing, co-production, and distribution of films, as well as networking opportunities among film industry experts.

This year’s participation of the Philippines in Marché du Film is in line with the national film agency’s mandate to further develop the Philippine film industry and provide opportunities for homegrown talents to be recognized globally.

To know more about the country’s participation in Marché du Film, follow FDCP’s official pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Marcos govt must reprimand NGCP for poor performance and grid outages

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Kuryente.org is calling on the Marcos administration to reprimand and revisit the franchise of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for its repeated failure to secure reliable electricity for the public. Roland Vibal, National Coordinator of Kuryente.org, said:

“The Congress must call for a public hearing and review the NGCP franchise before things get worse. The Department of Energy (DoE) must stop its kids-glove approach to NGCP and administratively reprimand it for its failure to fulfill its duties. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) needs to disallow NGCP’s petition for a transmission rate increase in its 4th regulatory period review as it fails to comply with its obligation 14 years after securing its franchise.

“The NGCP continues to remiss in its obligations and responsibilities to ensure a reliable and safe transmission backbone for the country. The unexpected red and yellow alert in Luzon last Monday is similar to the power outages in Panay a few weeks ago, and to the massive power blackout in Mindanao in 2015 has become a recurring problem that NGCP has miserably failed to address.

“Despite its billions in profit, NGCP has been slow in linking the three main island grids to ensure a stable electricity supply nor has fully upgraded all the transmission assets causing unexpected tripping’s and outages. Worse, is its continued failure to secure a stable firm based ancillary power reserves.

“The power outage we experienced in the sweltering heat of the country’s dry season is not an accident but a result of NGCP’s failure to fulfill its obligations as a private corporation responsible for operating, managing, and ensuring that the country’s grid provides reliable, sufficient, and safe electricity. Without a sufficient, reliable, sustainable, safe, and affordable electricity supply our road to economic growth and sustainable development will be at naught.”

SSS welcomes appointment of Eva Arcos to Social Security Commission

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The Social Security System (SSS) welcomes the appointment of Commissioner Eva B. Arcos as an acting member of the Social Security Commission (SSC), the highest governing board of the SSS.

As part of the SSC, Commissioner Arcos, who represents the Workers’ Group, is a member of the Information Technology and Collection Committee, and Risk Management and Investments Committee. She also served the SSC in 2015 and 2016.


Arcos dedicated more than three decades of service to workers and their families, women, the abandoned and homeless, children, and victim – survivors of gender-based violence, which include, among others, providing education opportunities; conducting research; participating in policy and program formulation; international solidarity; organizing communities; serving as a labor representative, delegate, adviser, panelist, or resource person in national and international activities; engaging in social dialogues and decision making-structures; providing psycho-social interventions, and psycho-spiritual accompaniment; and participating in relief and fact-finding missions in armed conflict areas.


She is concurrently the National Vice President for Education and Information of the Associated Labor Unions (ALU), Associated Philippine Seafarers Union (APSU), and the Associated Philippine Supervisory, Office, Technical Employees Association; and a Member of the Global, and Asia-Pacific IndustriALL Executive Committee, and Women’s Committee.


Arcos holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Economics from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. She has also earned 41 master’s units in Labor Policy and Administration, and Psychology from the same university.


She obtained diplomas and certificates in the areas of psychology, theology, spirituality, and labor from various institutions including Notre Dame University, Indiana, USA; Mexican American Cultural Center, San Antonio, Texas; Turin International Training Centre; Asian Productivity Organization and Iranian Productivity Organization, Tehran, Iran; Centro de Enseñanza para Extranjeros, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; and International Institute – Histadrut, Israel.

Arcos joins Secretary of Finance Benjamin E. Diokno (ex officio Chairperson); SSS President and CEO Rolando Ledesma Macasaet (Vice-Chairperson); Secretary of Labor and Employment Bienvenido E. Laguesma (ex officio member); and Commissioners Diana Pardo Aguilar, Anita Bumpus-Quitain, Manuel L. Argel Jr., Jose C. Julio, and Robert Joseph M. De Claro in the SSC.