How much will 'Filipiñana' get from the government for Oscars 2027 campaign?
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' pursuit of Oscars glory begins anew after selecting "Filipiñana" as the country's International Feature Film submission to the 2027 Academy Awards.
A National Selection Committee chose Rafael Manuel's debut feature from a shortlist of eight films, believing it to be the Philippines' best chance attracting Oscars voters.
In the history of the Academy Awards, no Filipino films has been nominated or even made the shortlist of the Best International Feature Film category.
Those who follow the awards circuit will know that Oscar campaigning is a journey that requires a lot of marketing and financing, something that past Philippine entries lacked to particular degrees.
Last year's entry "Magellan" by Lav Diaz starring Gael Garcia Bernal was arguably the closest the country got to being shortlisted, and the movie was backed by a heavy marketing campaign.
The Film Academy of the Philippines learned heavily from the experience, which is why its revamped Pinoy Oscars Pursuit grants program will help "Filipiñana" and future entries get the funding it needs for marketing and promotional efforts.
How much exactly?
The maximum amount of grant money from the Pinoy Oscars Pursuit for a country's entry is P25 million, and the Academy confirmed to Philstar.com that "Filipiñana" qualifies for the full amount.
As the Philippines' official seletion, "Filipiñana" will instantly receive P8 million as an incentive for its campaign to be shortlisted at the Oscars.
Related: Philippines picks ‘Filipiñana’ as Oscars 2027 entry
Because the film made its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, the largest festival in the United States for independent films and therefore an A-list festival, it will receive another P3 million.
"Filipiñana" won the festival's Special Jury Award for Creative Vision in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, ensuring it another P3 million as incentive.
The movie also won Best Feature Film and Youth Jury Award at the Festival Internacional de Cine de Valencia, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the Independent Film Festival Boston, and the Golden Gate Award for New Directors Competition at the San Francisco International Film Festival.
Any film that wins three main awards before its selection by a country — like what "Filipiñana" has done — makes it eligible for an extra P3 million in funding.
Ahead of its European premiere in Berlinale last February, the film was picked up for North American distribution by Kino Lorber, which gives it yet another P3 million.
Kino Lorber is responsible for distributing the most recent Best Documentary Oscar winner "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," which according to the grant program, entitles "Filipiñana" to P5 million.
Industry experts predict that up to $20 million (P1.25 billion) in marketing is needed for a successful Best International Feature Film campaign.
"Filipiñana" will have to make do with the P25 million or $400,000 from the Philippine government plus any funding it will get from producers, distributors, and donors.
Related: 'Be brave': 'Filipiñana' producer addresses criticism of PH Oscar entry
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