At Cannes, Film Academy of the Philippines Holds Working Meetings with Film Agencies, Industry Award-Giving Bodies, and Training Institutions

The Academy attended the 79th Festival de Cannes and the Marché du Film to make introductions and build relationships, as a newly established government agency, with the global film community.

CANNES, France — The Film Academy of the Philippines was in Cannes last week as part of the Philippine delegation to the 79th Festival de Cannes, the annual celebration of international cinema, and the Marché du Film, the world’s largest film market.

Led by Director-General Paolo Villaluna, the Academy met with international film institutes and festivals, global partners for training in the Philippines, campaign strategists for industry awards, and international film worker guilds. Each meeting is tied to one of the Academy’s four mandates — guild support, worker training, awards and honors, and worker protection, and to the longer effort to expand training opportunities, international access, and practical support for Filipino film workers and the guilds that represent them.

“This is our first full year operating in our new form as a government agency, and the trip to Cannes is a necessary first introduction to the wider global film community. We hope to bring the world’s resources and expertise back home to benefit our workers and industry,” said Director-General Villaluna. “Cannes puts us in the same place, at the same time, as the institutions we want to work with for years to come, film agencies, festivals, training bodies, and our regional neighbors. Our job is to make sure local workers and filmmakers have stronger systems behind them, ensuring that we are at par with global standards, and these meetings are part of figuring out how to do that.”

Villaluna and Kristine Kintana, head of the Academy’s Film Awards and Events Division, met with Tom Swayne of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to discuss the Oscars submission process, awards strategy, and the long-term capacity needed to support Philippine films in major international awards circuits. The 100th edition of the US Academy Awards is set for 2028.

“A serious Oscars campaign takes resources and connections to build,” said Kristine Kintana, head of the Academy’s Film Awards and Events Division. “You need experts inside the awards body who actually champion your work. You also need the right professionals running the operation—managing screenings, handling press, getting screeners to the right voters, staying on top of a long campaign. Filipino films can hold their own in major awards races, and our job is to make sure they have the government’s support to do it.”

Richard Lorber, chairman and CEO of Kino Lorber, one of Hollywood’s most respected distributors, dropped by the Singapore-Philippines Pavilion—hosted by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority—for a welcome and unscheduled exchange with the Academy team. The conversation was about the North American distribution of the Philippine film Filipiñana, directed by Rafael Manuel.

Kino Lorber acquired the film after its premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.

The Academy also met with three international institutes: the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) of France, the British Film Institute, and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority. All three have long experience supporting their film communities through training, public funding, festivals, and awards work.

In addition, the delegation met with experts from Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture, Kementerian Kebudayaan, who were interested in the Film Academy’s database of film and audio-visual workers.

“We’re excited about Indonesia’s interest in working closely with us,” said Celeste Joven, Academy chief of staff. “Aside from initial discussions with experts exchange programs, we talked about the possibility of a Southeast Asia-wide professional database of film and audio-visual workers—a project pioneered in the Philippines, which we’re happy to share with the rest of the region.”

The Academy’s meetings with international institutes also included Jakarta Film Week and Encounters Film Festival in Bristol.

Tatino Film Lab, Fest Film Lab, and the Location Managers Guild International—three global partners for training—met with the Academy on professional development for Filipino film workers and skills-building pathways for Filipino location managers, scouts, stunt performers, and crews.

“Training is something Filipino film workers value, and one of the Academy’s jobs is to give them more of it,” said Dan Morales, head of the Film Academy’s Film Worker Training and Research Division. “Our Cannes meetings were helpful, as these institutions have built the kind of training infrastructure we want to grow at home, and they were generous in walking us through how they did it. We are leaving with real leads to follow up on, especially in cinematography, sound design, stunts, and the other crafts, where stronger international training links can really change things for our workers.”

The Academy and organizers of QCinema International Film Festival also co-hosted a mixer for the Filipino film community at L’Atrium in Cannes. The event was a Philippine-led gathering for Filipino filmmakers, together with international colleagues. #