A new Philippine-Italian sales alliance aims to put independent films in front of buyers in Asia, Europe and North America. Fire & Ice Media, the Philippine producer and sales agent, and Italy’s Coccinelle Film Sales unveiled the strategic partnership at Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market. The pair will work together on a handpicked group of films, combining their regional know-how and buyer contacts to seek distribution deals beyond the films’ home markets.
A first batch of films has already been chosen, though the companies have yet to name them. Abell Diño-Cabrera, who heads Fire & Ice Media and runs the division’s film and TV development, production, positioning and sales work, will steer the alliance for the Philippine side. Our job is to understand where those opportunities are and work with the right people to make them happen,” said Diño-Cabrera.
Breccia said the company already had sales alliances with Asian counterparts, notably in South Korea and Thailand, and was delighted to now bring the Philippines into that network. I was particularly drawn to Fire & Ice Media’s lineup, which combines a distinctive arthouse sensibility with strong commercial potential,” Breccia said. On offer are Phil Giordano’s “Bilyarista,” a sports drama with a female lead; Nigel Santos’ queer ensemble piece “Open Endings”; David R.
Corpuz’s “Only Known to Us”; Law Fajardo’s “The Hearing”; and “Crosspoint,” a Philippines-Japan thriller from Donie Ordiales. A selection of films by Brillante Mendoza rounds out the lineup. Several international co-productions and development projects are also in the works.
Among them are Mendoza’s “Aid,” Ham Tran’s supernatural thriller “Red Thread” and “Karaoke News,” a crime thriller from John Paul Su that takes aim at the media. Parent company Fire & Ice Entertainment, co-founded by CEO Liza Diño and Ice Seguerra, spans film and TV production, international sales, music, live events and creative consultancy. Its Media arm has been a partner on international co-productions such as Nicole Midori Woodford’s “Last Shadow at First Light,” which bowed in San Sebastián in 2023, and Matsubayashi Urara’s “Blue Imagine,” a 2024 Rotterdam premiere.
The company’s homegrown projects include “Never the Bride,” a scripted drama series from Diño about a wedding planner whose own marriage is falling apart, and “Funeral Flowers,” a family drama feature she will write and direct. Seguerra is attached to direct “Alex & Rio,” a road movie driven by music. Diño said the company had learned over the years that a robust slate is merely the starting point.
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