The Philippines and Spain are planning to sign a co-production treaty that will make it easier for producers from both countries to work together. 

The draft agreement could be signed in the coming weeks, once both countries approve it. Camilo Vázquez, deputy director of Spain’s national film agency ICAA, announced the treaty yesterday at the San Sebastian Film Festival during a session focusing on the Philippines, and Variety was the first to cover the news. 

For Spain, co-pro treaties open doors to more funding and can bring together strong talent from around the world, said Vázquez. 

Spain has very competitive tax credits, including in the Canary Islands, where incentives can sometimes be north of 50% for some of the spend. Spain already has co-pro agreements in place with 22 countries that want access to these generous incentives. But the country is looking to increase that number, Vázquez noted. 

Meanwhile, the Philippines is trying to develop into a world-renowned production hub, and its Quezon City Film Commission is launching a new three-year fund to support these efforts. It will give one or two projects a year a maximum of US$100,000, as long as 50% of this amount is spent in the Philippines, or elsewhere if there’s an Ibero-American and Filipino producer attached. The Quezon City Ibero-America Fund is set to run from 2026 to 2028. 

Spain isn’t the only country looking to do more work with the Philippines. Back in May, France signed a co-pro treaty with the country to encourage TV and film collaborations. When that deal was signed at the Cannes Film Festival, a release was issued highlighting how it plays into the Philippines government’s goal to grow and support its media industry.

It’s no secret why the Philippines is attracting this interest. It has a 20% to 25% rebate on both animation and live-action productions through its Film Location Incentive Program. To qualify, films need to spend a minimum of roughly US$350,000, and series need to spend US$420,000 (with a minimum of eight episodes), capped at US$437,000 for both. 

The Philippines has a strong and renowned animation service industry, with Manila-based Snipple Animation alone working on 2D-animated films The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe and the series Angry Birds Mystery Island. The studio has also expanded into original series with The Woohoos! (for Milkshake! and Channel 5) and The Singalings (Sky Kids), both distributed by 9 Story. 

Also in Manila, Top Draw Animation has done service work on dozens of titles, including Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. 

Image courtesy of iSawRed via Unsplash.