TBA hopes to drive audiences to cinemas with Past Lives, Cobweb, Sound of Freedom

TBA Studios wants to help bring audiences back to the cinemas with newly-acquired foreign titles for release this last quarter of 2023. These are the romantic drama Past Lives, the comedy Cobweb and the “controversial” box-office hit, Sound of Freedom, which recently outgrossed Hollywood blockbusters.

Currently, TBA is screening Celine Song’s bittersweet romance Past Lives about two people — Nora (Greta Lee from Russian Doll, The Morning Show) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo from Leto, Arthdal Chronicles) — who used to be inseparable in their childhood years before the former emigrated from South Korea.

They reunited more than two decades later in New York and rediscovered their deep and unique connection, challenging beliefs about fate, romance, life choices, and perhaps how “first loves” define future relationships. The film, which world-premiered at Sundance early this year, opened last week to 140 local theaters, including the TBA-owned Cinema ‘76 in Tomas Morato.

“Past Lives was produced by A24 and CJ Entertainment and then the world sales, I think, is with A24. We want to continue our relationship with A24. We got Everything Everywhere All At Once (from them). We were very happy with the turnout of Everything Everywhere All At Once and then The Whale (also from A24). Those two were nominated and got a lot of wins from the Oscars. And these films were well-received theatrically,” Daphne Chiu, president and COO of TBA Studios, told The STAR.

“I think we have a good film in Past Lives. Ang dami na naming sold-out screenings… Ever since they released Past Lives early this year, sobrang laki ng buzz, ang dami nagme-message sa amin on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, the comments and private messages,” she said.

It was also largely through interest from the local market that TBA decided to acquire Sound of Freedom, to be released in cinemas on Sept. 20. Based on real-life events surrounding the anti-human trafficking work of former US Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel), the film became the highest-earning indie in the US since 2019’s Parasite.

It was also largely through interest from the local market that TBA decided to acquire Sound of Freedom, which is their next big picture to be released on Sept. 20.

In a description by faith-based producer Angel Studios, Alejandro Monteverde’s Sound of Freedom is based on real-life events surrounding the anti-human trafficking work of Tim Ballard who “embarked on numerous rescue missions throughout his career, both while working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and later with his organization, Operation Underground Railroad.” In the movie, Ballard who is played by Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line) “goes rogue to rescue a young girl who has been kidnapped by a sex-trade ring” in Latin America.

According to Time, the indie action-thriller rose up the box-office rankings to stand next after “Barbenheimer” (the term coined by fans to refer to the simultaneous release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer), and outperformed the latest Mission Impossible and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. As of last month, it has become the highest-earning indie film since Parasite in 2019.

The third and last film to be distributed by TBA this year is the South Korean comedy, Cobweb, starring Parasite and Broker star Song Kang Ho, who plays a director obsessed about re-shooting the ending of his ‘70s movie Cobweb. It will premiere in the Philippines on Oct. 4, one week after it starts showing in Korean cinemas. Photos from official social media pages and websites

“To be honest, hindi rin namin siya mapu-pursue if there’s no clamor. Meron talagang nagtatanong, ‘Are you bringing Sound of Freedom?’ The stars aligned and we got to talk to Angel Studios,” Chiu said.

“I’ve seen it, maayos siya, it’s a nice and well-made film with the first 20 minutes magagalit ka to those who really engage (in child trafficking),” said Daphne of the theme, which is also an issue being faced in the Philippines.

“It has a messaging of, ‘Don’t do that to our children.’ And with that, duon na namin parang let’s see if it’s viable to bring it here and as long as there are audiences that want to see it.”

Their third and last film to be distributed by TBA this year is the Korean comedy, Cobweb, starring Parasite and Broker star Song Kang Ho, who plays a director obsessed about re-shooting the ending of his ‘70s movie Cobweb. Described as a “film within a film,” Cobweb is also from the producers of Parasite and from Kim Jee Woon, the director of the commercially-successful and critically-acclaimed Korean films A Tale of Two Sisters and A Bittersweet Life.

“It also screened in Cannes, and we watched it there. It is really something different from Past Lives and Sound of Freedom. So, I’m happy iba-iba siya (the roster of titles). Cobweb will be shown in Korea on Sept. 27 and one week after (Oct. 4), tayo (it will be shown in the Philippines),” she said.

Since last year, TBA has been actively bringing in foreign titles, among them Oscar winners Everything, Everywhere All At Once, Cannes winners Triangle of Sadness and Plan 75, and the Irish-Filipino horror-thriller Nocebo. Interest and inquiries from Filipino moviegoers play a big part in choosing an upcoming title, but “No. 1, it has to be good quality, theatrical-worthy, and as much as possible, kahit may pirated, we see to it, it’s worth-watching in the cinemas,” Chiu said.

The movie outfit that produced and co-produced Heneral Luna, Goyo, I’m Drunk, I Love You, among many others, is looking at next year to return to making its own films.

Their goal right now is to “drive audiences back to the cinemas first.”