Netflix Acquires Asia Pacific Rights for Crosspoint, Starring Hira Takehiro and Carlo Aquino, from Fire and Ice Media at Busan ACFM.
Philippines-based Fire and Ice Media has secured a deal with Netflix for the Asia Pacific rights to Crosspoint, directed by Donie Ordiales.
This agreement was finalized during the recent Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), held alongside the Busan International Film Festival.
Crosspoint features acclaimed Filipino actor Carlo Aquino, known for Whispers in the Wind, alongside Japan’s Hira Takehiro, who received an Emmy nomination for his role in Shogun. The film tells the story of Manuel Hidalgo (played by Aquino), a once-famous Filipino actor who relocates to Japan after experiencing a career downturn. He resorts to performing illegally in Filipino pubs to make ends meet. There, he meets Shigeru (Hira), a construction manager in his 50s who has recently gone bankrupt. Both men are eager to turn their lives around.
When they learn about a serial killer on the loose—someone Manuel recognizes—they seize the opportunity to track him down and claim the reward money.
Fire and Ice Media is also representing Brillante Mendoza’s Motherland, which premiered at the Busan festival. This film follows Dao-ayen, a member of the Ifugao tribe in northern Luzon, who participated in the 2015 Mamasapano raid that resulted in 44 deaths.
Liza Diño-Seguerra from Fire and Ice Media stated, “This year’s ACFM was a fantastic experience for us. We had back-to-back meetings and received numerous inquiries about our titles. We are currently negotiating for several territories.” She highlighted that closing the Asia Pacific rights for Crosspoint with Netflix was a significant achievement and mentioned ongoing discussions regarding Motherland with various distributors.
Diño-Seguerra noted a growing demand for horror films among distributors at ACFM. “Our strategic approach to film acquisition was validated by this trend,” she said. “With streaming platforms becoming dominant, we are adapting our strategies to meet changing market demands. Traditional cinema attendance is declining as audiences increasingly prefer on-demand content.”
Despite these shifts, Diño-Seguerra found ACFM to be an excellent platform for selling films and gaining market insights. As first-time participants, they gained valuable knowledge that will inform their future strategies.
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