Why FDCP will no longer coproduce ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ spinoff

Scene from 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” —PHOTO COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.

Amidst talks that the spinoff of Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians” will be shot in the Philippines, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Tirso Cruz III said coproducing the romantic comedy film sequel would not be possible because its production budget is “too high that we would not be able to counter.”

Under the FDCP’s Film Location Incentive Program (Flip), which aims to promote the country as a filming destination, a cash rebate of 20 percent will be given to international projects that involve production, postproduction and animation in the Philippines. However, this is only capped at P25 million, Cruz reported.

“We feel that it’s better to provide incentives to smaller productions. This way, more can benefit from it,” Cruz explained. “If the producers of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ will accept what we can offer, then that would be great. If not, then maybe there is another country that would be able to provide a better deal for them.”

In an article on The Beat Asia website, Singaporean novelist Kevin Kwan was quoted to have announced that the Philippines will be the backdrop for the sequel. It also quoted film producer Lawrence Bender saying that the script of “Crazy Rich Asians” sequel is like a “love letter to the Philippines.”

The article also pointed out that it was still “unclear whether the film will be primarily filmed in the Philippines, or only specific parts of the movie.” The film, which stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Gemma Chan, Harry Shum Jr. and Michelle Yeoh, was released in 2018.

Flex program

However, Cruz said that while quite a number of film and TV productions come to the Philippines to shoot, not all of them are coproduced by the FDCP. “This is because some of them have enough money and they only avail of our Flex program,” said Cruz, referring to the FDCP’s Film Location Expanding Desk.

The Flex serves local and foreign productions with interagency assistance for government permits, locations and production logistics in the Philippines, and also engagement with local production companies, technical suppliers and crew.

“If foreign productions come here to shoot, they ask help to secure visa or coordinate with the LGUs (local government units) for permits to shoot in specific locations. We do all these free of charge. We’re very proud of this program, although the legwork often gets too tiring for our people. We’re happy when production teams that come over also express their appreciation,” Cruz said.

FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III —MARINEL CRUZ

Competitive market

“Of course, even big producers still aim for lower production cost. If they still want to shoot ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ here and it’s OK with them not to coproduce with the FDCP, then they can avail of the Flex,” Cruz told reporters during a recent media gathering. “If you really look at it, that’s how the Philippines earns. When you shoot a film here, you book hotels and hire transportation and food catering services, as well as production people like makeup artists. This will mean bigger returns for the country. As for the FDCP, our help will be reciprocated this way.”

Cruz reported: “We have been busy. We also rehashed our incentive programs to make them more attractive to producers. As you know, we have competition from Taiwan, Vietnam and other countries. While they are able to provide a bigger budget, we offer programs that they don’t have, particularly the Flex,” reported Cruz.

Pursuant to Executive Order 674, s. 2007, the FDCP is mandated to manage the promotion of the Philippines as a highly viable filming destination for international productions.

The Flip, as well as the International Co-Production Fund (Icof) and the Asean Co-Production Fund (Acof), allow the agency to provide funding for domestic and international efforts and partnerships for Filipino film producers to serve as line producers or partners, or coproducers for the production of quality films.

CreatePH

Another film funding program is CreatePH, which awards funding script development, project development, production, postproduction and film distribution of Filipino projects for domestic release.

“This is what we’re focusing on right now. We came up with CreatePH because we want to make more local content,” said the actor, who was appointed FDCP chair and CEO in June 2022.

“It’s a new job, so I was on a steep learning curve,” said Cruz as a way to describe his first year in the agency. “It’s show business, but of a different angle. Admittedly, I was shaken at first. I realized that I had a lot of things to do and policies to understand. You have to study your every move. You also have to rely on your people,” Cruz said.

“In our office, it’s never a one-man rule. Often, I would ask my team to sit with me over merienda and we would pitch ideas. Everybody has a voice. In fact, the idea to pay tribute to our comedians came from one of those merienda pitches,” Cruz said.

The FDCP recently launched the 2023 edition of the Philippine Film Industry Month, which carries the theme, “Tuloy Pa rin ang Tawanan.” It pays tribute to the late comedy king, Dolphy, and other iconic Filipino comedians such as TVJ (Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon), Eugene Domingo, Ai-Ai delas Alas, Michael V and Vice Ganda. The monthlong celebration concludes with an awards ceremony on Sept. 29 at Acacia Hotel in Alabang.