Opportunities in co-production, distribution, and intellectual property exchange in the entertainment industry took center stage in an industry briefing organized recently by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) and the Philippine Embassy in Mexico City.
Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Demetrio R. Tuason welcomed the audience of film producers and distributors from the Camara Nacional de la Industria Cinematografica (CANACINE), the Mexican film industry chamber. He emphasized that the forum built upon the momentum generated when the Philippines was highlighted as Spotlight Country during the huge Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) in July this year.
Vichael Angelo Roaring, head of PTIC Mexico and Philippine Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) trade representative in Mexico and Latin America, outlined the objectives of the event, primary of which were to highlight opportunities and to open the door for collaboration and business development between the Philippine and Mexican creative industries, particularly in the film production sector.
“Latin America presents itself both as an ideal market and partner for the Philippines when we talk about the creative economy,” said Roaring. “We have so much in common but both sides need to be reacquainted. We should leverage on shared history and shared culture for us to best collaborate with the creators and content distributors in the region.”
ABS-CBN North and Latin America Managing Director Jun Del Rosario gave the industry presentation. He highlighted Star Cinema/ABS-CBN Films which was established in 1993 and has become the largest motion picture company in the Philippines. As of 2015, the film outfit has captured 83 percent of the local theatrical market share.
The Mexicans in the audience were very delighted to know of the success of Latin telenovelas in the Philippines. Del Rosario cited ABS-CBN´s adaptations of Mexican telenovelas such as Maria Mercedes and Maria Del Barrio, in partnership with Televisa and RTI Colombia.
Del Rosario talked about the possibilities of co-production, as ABS-CBN is constantly searching for partnerships around the world, filming stories that resonate with the global audience. He indicated that it is through co-productions that their films have reached a mainstream audience beyond the Filipino market. Del Rosario indicated that the music industry and talent exchange is another area that they will pursue for the Mexican and Latin American markets.
At the end of the event, the team of PTIC Mexico, together with Del Rosario networked with the CANACINE members to continue discussions on production and distribution opportunities between their respective industries. (Philippine Embassy of Mexico/ABS-CBN North and Latin America)
