MANILA — A measure seeking to grant incentives to Filipino filmmakers, who have received honors in notable international film festivals, has hurdled second reading at the House of Representatives.
The Lower House passed on Wednesday via voice voting House Bill No. 7823, otherwise known as the “Film Industry Incentives Act”, with the aim of encouraging the production of more high-quality film projects for both local and global markets.
It proposes incentives for those whose films merited the highest recognition for technical or artistic excellence in notable international film festivals.
Under the bill, PHP5 million shall be given to the filmmaker or producer of an international award-winning full-length feature or documentary film.
An incentive of PHP3 million shall be given to the filmmaker or production entity that produces an international award-winning short feature or documentary film.
Meanwhile, a PHP2 million incentive awaits the film director, main artist, screenplay, or technical support filmmaker personnel, including the scriptwriter, cinematographer, editor, production designer, music scoring, sound director, audio or video technician, who received the highest international awards in their respective categories.
For supporting artists or technicians who garnered the highest award in their respective categories, a PHP1 million incentive awaits each of them.
International award-winning films shall automatically qualify to receive an “A” rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board. (Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)
