Multi-award-winning filmmaker Erik Matti and the ever-bold and determined producer Dondon Monteverde have again championed the Philippines at the forefront of global entertainment with their latest win at the 2024 Series Mania International Festival in Lille, France.
Pitted against worldwide counterparts, including Hollywood bigwigs and the best of the best, Matti and Monteverde's win not only highlights their filmmaking prowess and unwavering passion for the art but also underscores the ability of Filipino creatives to produce international-quality entertainment.
Of course, Matti is globally known for his acclaimed 2013 Filipino neo-noir crime thriller "On the Job" (OTJ), which premiered at the Director's Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival of the same year and later serialized on HBO. He is also widely noted for the 2018 Filipino crime thriller "BuyBust," which, after opening at the New York Asian Film Festival, became a massive box-office success in the Philippines and parts of North America.
Thanks to these titles and other prolific projects under Matti and Monteverde's co-founded Reality MM Studios, the Philippines earned a spot at the invitational Series Mania International Festival.
While honored to represent the country and the industry they love and support, "M and M" expressed in a Zoom interview before Easter how fortunate they were to have participated in such a valuable experience in Lille, especially since it doesn't end with just a win.
But first, allow Direk Erik to explain what the festival is all about.
"Series Mania is a prestigious festival in Lille, France, dedicated to showcasing series rather than movies," he began. "Under this umbrella is the Seriesmakers, which aims to engage full-length filmmakers who have previously joined A-list festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Toronto. So, Dondon and I were invited as participants, with every country ultimately tasked with pitching an original series."
Designed as a conference besides a competition, the participants are initially subjected to masterclasses that discuss the differences between a film and a series, best practices, and ultimately the gold standard in producing a series."
"Various people gave talks. Some were from 'Game of Thrones,' and others were from 'Narcos,'" Direk Erik enthused, citing the hugely successful titles from HBO and Netflix.
"Kami ni Dondon, siyempre, we were excited," he added, especially when their project, "The Squatter," quickly made it to the Top 10 and eventually clinched one of the top prizes among the final four winning entries.
"The Squatter," as reported in a synopsis by Variety.com, follows the story of "a secretive Filipino maid and dogged Ukrainian detective [who] investigate a dead body in a rural town as the crime unravels who they are."
Direk Erik, however, said of the Variety Seriesmania exclusive, "They got the part about the Filipina maid wrong [in the report]. The character is actually a Filipina lawyer who migrates to London. She ends up doing errands for a rich couple and inadvertently figures in a crime.
"From the very beginning, we wanted to tell an immigrant story that shows how the Philippines is one of the biggest exporters of immigrants to the world," Matti continued, explaining their plot choice. "And how professionals from the Philippines don't get to do what they studied to do because of complicated requirements for foreigners to obtain licenses.
"[As for the Ukranian] character, we thought it could also be nice to show a separate immigrant story not necessarily from Asia and Ukraine, of course, also has many immigrants in big cities. They also have their own immigrant experiences, and the two present interesting parallel stories that converge in an East meets West crime story."
"The Squatter" thoroughly impressed the jury with its unique storytelling and relevance.
"When they called us to tell us we won, they said, 'We really love the idea because the story is something that the UK would be excited about, and the take regarding the immigrant story is very relevant. They said, they never heard such a story yet."
The top prize not only earned Matti and Monteverde recognition but also a grant of fifty thousand euros. And yet, what the duo especially likes about winning Seriesmania is the organizers' follow-through program.
"It isn't like, OK, 'You're the winner, here's 50 thousand euros, then bahala na si Batman (then let Batman take care of it)," Matti laughed.
2024 Series Mania International Festival Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti receives one of the top awards at the 2024 Series Mania International in Lille, France. INSTAGRAM PHOTO/ERIKMATTI Erik Matti receives recognition at the 2024 Series Mania International Festival in Lille, France Philippine Cinema’s dynamic duo, Matti and producer Dondon Monteverde INSTAGRAM PHOTO/DONDONMONTEVERDE
"They'll be meeting us again to plan out who will produce the series in the UK, who will work with us in the execution, who will distribute the series and all that," he added.
Monteverde, for his part, expressed, "For Reality, we're very happy being Pinoys to get the top prize because, like Direk Erik said, this follow-through will allow our introduction to other platforms around the world.
"It's been a dream for Direk Erik to do an English-speaking or a dual language project like so many people are used to now because of streaming. And we really think that this will be it — a first for a Filipino production."
Asked by The Manila Times Entertainment if the exciting venture means Reality MM Studios will be doing more international projects from hereon, Monteverde assured they are still all in to do their share to keep Philippine cinema going and going strong.
"Reality has so many projects in the pipeline. Erik and I, our first love, is really the cinema, and we're committed to bringing back more people to the movies."
The duo isn't all talk, by the way, because Monteverde was quick to cite at least four full-length features waiting to shoot on the studio's calendar. Among them are "Haunted Asylum" starring Enrique Gil, a horror-thriller with Bea Alonzo, a war movie with Brandon Vera, Jane de Leon and Pauline Lopez, and a Judy Ann Santos-starrer.
Come April, they will also begin shooting another season of OTJ the series and start a new one for Buy Bust.
"These will, of course, go to streaming, but again, like Dondon said, we're committed to making all those movies for our local industry," Matti underlined.
And so, as the M and M of Reality MM Studios continue to make waves in the international entertainment scene — all without neglecting their roots and their promise to reinvigorate Philippine Cinema — their success should only serve to inspire Filipino filmmakers and creatives and reinforce the notion that with talent, determination, and innovation, Philippine cinema can truly shine on the global stage and thrive at their very home.
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