Filipino Movies Making Waves In Streaming

The last couple of years might have prevented us from trooping to cinemas, but the pandemic restrictions didn’t stop us from watching movies; we just switched platforms. MAVX Productions’ big boss Erwin “Lucky” Blanco shares that streaming success all boils down to a good story.

The rise of digital streaming platforms—like Netflix—kept most of us entertained at home. And taking advantage of the streaming boom is independent production house MAVX Productions, helmed by Erwin “Lucky” Blanco.

Streaming is definitely the way to go, especially now. And Lucky shares that he already thought that moviemaking is going the digital route even before the rise of Netflix. “Nakita ko na papunta na sa digital yung content because of the uniqueness of its distribution model. Worldwide na nakikita yung content,” he says.

Achieving streaming supremacy

MAVX Productions came in at the right time. With this new platform, several MAVX films were given a second lease of life. “May mga titles kami, like Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap and Through Night and Day, na hindi na-distribute ng maayos sa cinemas, and through Netflix parang naging fresh pa rin kahit napalabas na sila sa cinema before.”

Lucky believes people flock to streaming platforms to see great stories brought to life. And as the brains behind these Netflix favorites, he credits his being a film buff as one of the reasons behind MAVX’s unique stories becoming a hit to Netflix subscribers. “Audience rin kasi ako. Yung mga movies na pino-produce ko, yung mga gusto kong mapanood,” he says.

He adds, “I also wanted to put diversity and freshness. At sa online market, importante yun. Hindi porke’t nag-hit ka sa TV or nag-hit ka sa YouTube, automatic na mag-hi-hit ka sa Netflix. Iba-iba ang audiences ng movies, ng YouTube, ng TV.”

Photo op with the staff outside one of Germany’s train stations.

Taking Filipinos around the world

Lucky’s goal is to produce films with rich, diverse storylines paired with captivating visuals. “Gusto ko yung mga stories na hindi masyadong na-ta-tackle. Like what we’re doing in MAVX, we’re also doing love stories na ginagawa rin naman ng marami. But we put an effort to bring our audience to different parts of the world. That’s why we shoot our movies abroad. I think that’s also the uniqueness we’re trying to bring to cinema—dalhin natin yung mga Pilipino all over the world,” he explains.

As a content creator, Lucky personally wants to explore the countries he’s shot movies in. “I-e-explore ko siya, at isasama ko kayo,” he says. But more than just showing the sights, Lucky also wants to share the stories of Filipinos who are in those countries. “There are 10 million Filipinos outside the country. Ang daming Pilipino talaga all over the world. We were surprised to find out na ang dami palang Pinoy sa Iceland when we went there for Through Night and Day. Akala namin, pagdating namin dun walang Pinoy kasi sobrang layo na nun. Pero malaki rin pala ang Filipino population dun,” he says.

Before jetting off to foreign lands to shoot films, Lucky and his team make sure to do their research.

He explains his team’s process as one that’s rooted in research. “We do initial research sa mga bansa—may Pilipino ba dito, ano’ng bagay na kwento dito. Halimbawa, nung nagpunta kami ng Greenland, sabi ko magandang kwento dito dark, kasi yung lugar konti ang tao. Then when we do an ocular, and when we interview people, dun either nabubuo or naiiba yung storyline.”

Breaking the cookie-cutter mold

Through his films, Lucky wants to show that we can go beyond the typical movie plots. He says, “Ang mga kwentong ginagamit namin ay yung mga kwento ng normal na tao dun, na galing din sa mga Pilipino na kinukwento rin sa amin—love life nila, family life nila. Hindi laging cliché OFW stories ng paghihirap in the movies. Maraming Pilipino sa ibang bansa na choice lang talaga nilang tumira dun, and not necessarily for greener pastures or whatsoever.”

As a result, Lucky says that MAVX’s films reflect the real experiences of the people he meets in those countries.

“Yung experiences ng mga Pilipino dun are different because they are in another environment, seeing a different culture, talking to different people. Even yung interactions nila with fellow Pinoys iba pa rin kasi nasa ibang lugar sila,” he stresses.

This also means that the location plays a factor when thinking up plot lines. “May mga settings na hindi mag-wo-work kapag sa Pinas yung story. For example, sa Kita Kita, ang kwento nun bulag yung character [na babae tapos] mag-isa lang siya [sa bahay]. [Then may kababayan syang lalaki na] kinukulit-kulit siya. Kapag sa Pilipinas ang setting nun, yung may mga kapansanan hindi nawawalan ng kasama yun.

Another example is Nuuk, which tackled suicide. “[Sa Greenland], mararamdaman mo na napakalungkot doon. Literal mababaliw ka kasi you’re surrounded by ice and hindi ka makakalabas ng bahay mo. Tapos hindi ka nakakakita ng sunlight for several months. So, we factored din the location sa story nung film.”

But sometimes, the MAVX team’s dedication to research leads to criticism. “When we shot A Faraway Land in Faroe Islands, we were told, ano ba naman yan pumunta pa kayo diyan para lang ipakita yung mga kabit stories. Sana naman lumayo na tayo diyan,” Lucky shares. But when his team interviewed Filipinos living there, they found out that almost a lot of them had the same experiences. “They are far away from their families, and napakalungkot din sa lugar na yun. May mga nagpunta sa Faroe to escape from their love lives sa Pilipinas, then nakahanap ng Faroese dun. They were given a comfortable life, but there is still emptiness.”

Criticisms aside, it is through the team’s research and their extra effort in interviewing Filipinos living there that ultimately showcased the beauty of and the stories in the Faroe Islands.

The film lets audiences see the stunning landscapes that contrasted with the complicated love affair between the two main characters. “May pagka-‘you and me against the world’ sila. But through the movie, we showed the reality na hindi porke’t na-in love kayo sa isa’t isa, bibitiwan mo na lahat,” Lucky says.

Risking life and limb for a good film

Shooting a film in another country is not a walk in the park—and it’s even more difficult in the middle of a global pandemic. But Lucky believes that the sacrifice is worth it, especially when he and his team complete a film. “Nagpapakahirap kami pumunta sa abroad para ipakita sa audience yung iba’t ibang lugar, para at least for a couple of hours, makalimutan nila yung misery na hindi sila makalabas,” he says.

He adds, “As a producer, you also have to ensure the safety of your staff. Inaral ko talaga yung mga protocols ng mga bansa. Kabisado ko na yung mga regulations. (He laughs.) Siyempre, you’re bringing in around 20 to 30 people, and it’s my responsibility to ensure people’s safety and welfare.”

Action movies to watch that are under 90 minutes!

Because of the difficulty in securing the necessary permits and keeping track of actors and crew, Lucky and the MAVX team had to be creative when coming up with their stories. “Just recently, nag-shoot na ako ng dalawang movie para ma-compensate yung lahat ng effort namin. But the biggest adjustment was on creative—kasi when we set a movie in, say, Switzerland, we need creatives to step up and come up with films we can shoot around Europe. Andun na kami eh, so we have to make the most out of the trip.”

He stresses that the creative teams should enter the production process with open minds, and the flexibility to handle sudden adjustments.

“Because of the pandemic, let’s align our vision, let’s do our research, and let’s work together para magawa natin lahat ng stories we can shoot. And if it’s not possible, let’s think of stories na pwedeng mag-fit sa pupuntahan natin,” he says.

Elevating the Filipino movie industry

As a producer, Lucky feels the heavy responsibility of showing audiences different stories that reflect real people’s lives, rather than formulaic plotlines. While he’s not against the popular rom com genre, he has always said that he wishes that there are films tackling other, equally interesting stories. “Wala na tayong ibang napanood kundi rom com. Wala nang family story. Wala nang about a father and son, a mother and daughter, kasi hindi naman madalas kumikita yung mga ganyang genre. So lahat na lang nag-rom com. Naumay na rin ang mga tao,” he says.

With MAVX films, Lucky tries to break away from the formula by focusing on the characters and the characters’ relationships and emotions in the stories. “We try to make you feel and love our characters. Like yung sa Izla, we focused dun sa relationship nung magkapatid. And dun sa Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap, walang love life sa story, walang yakapan, pero may naramdaman ka para sa tatay at anak. You can’t help but root for them,” he explains.

Breaking away from the formula and taking risks, Lucky believes, are the keys to elevating the Filipino movie industry—that the people in the industry themselves should take the lead in crafting more diverse stories for audiences. “We’re the chefs. Tayo ang gumagawa ng kakainin nila. So sumugal tayo na gumawa ng ibang kwento.”

What then makes a film great for this network engineer-turned-film producer? Lucky says that the story itself can make or break a film. “It all boils down to a good story. A film should touch the heart, not the mind. Kapag wala kang naramdaman sa pinanood mo’ng pelikula, ibig sabihin hindi maganda,” Lucky says.