House OK’s bill on incentives for acclaimed filmmakers

By Charmaine A. Tadalan, Reporter
THE bill granting incentives to Filipino filmmakers granted honors in international film festivals has hurdled the House of Representatives on third and final reading.
With 162 affirmative votes and zero negative, the chamber approved House Bill 7823, Film Industry Incentives Act, which seeks to support the local film industry and further promote Filipino culture.
Among the incentives filmmakers or production entities may be entitled to are P5 million for the production of an award-winning full-length feature or documentary film, and P3 million for short features or documentary film.
The measure also provided that P2 million may be granted to a film director, main artist, screenplay, or technical support filmmaker personnel, who received the highest international awards in their categories.
And P1 million was also pegged for supporting artists or technicians who have garnered the highest award in their respective categories.
The bill also stated the first incentive covers Filipino filmmakers or production entities that worked within a maximum of P10 million in their production budget for a 90 to 120-minute long film.
The second incentive, meanwhile, will be granted to films or documentaries that are under 90 minutes long and cost P5 million.
Moreover, the budget for the proposed measure will be sourced from the budget to be allocated to the Film Development Council of the Philippines.