HARMAYN-HOFMAN. “The game of the future is content.”
Last month, we attended Cinemalaya’s first-ever Manila Film Financing Forum, organized by the Philippine Independent Filmmakers Multi-Purpose Cooperative (IFC) to gain new insights on independent filmmaking.
It was a welcome development. By pitching their new projects to producers and financiers, indie filmmakers’ goal of making their second or third feature is suddenly within reach.
Concession
In the forum, Manet Dayrit shared, “I notice that the most successful filmmakers I’ve worked with are very professional in dealing with creative and business matters. Always remember that it’s an enterprise. At the end of the day, it’s still business as usual.”
“Himpapawid” director, Raymond Red, pointed out, “A hard reality is that money has to be recouped. I’ve done Hubert Bals, Pusan Promotion Plan and Hong Kong Financing, and I was able to produce my film independently.”
Adolf Alix explained, “For each of my films, there’s a specific financing plan. I do some films for a niche audience, like ‘Nars.’ You want to tell your story, but there are also people who want to protect their money. You have to arrive at the best compromise.”
Entrepreneur Joel Santos shared, “We like to showcase talent, but we should always watch our back pocket. Show emotion in the creative process, and no emotion on the business side.”
Ownership
Indonesian producer, Shanty Harmayn-Hofman revealed, “The game of the future is content. You’re all content makers. Soon, media companies will pursue you. Ownership has to be clarified.”
After the forum, the producers picked the best pitch from the preselected 20 participants. The highest votes went to Sockie Fernandez and Lee Briones’ “Mang Ben,” about a macho man who is forced to work as a seamstress after his wife passes away!