The globally critically-acclaimed film Birdshot continues to gain recognition as it launches worldwide in top video streaming platform Netflix. This is another exciting development for Philippine cinema as the award-winning indie film, directed by Mikhail Red and presented by TBA Studios, Globe Studios, and Pelikula Red, can now be viewed by audiences around the world.
Birdshot garnered international attention as the Best Film in the Asian Future Tokyo Film Fest 2016 and as the Oscar selection for the Philippines in 2017. It was also hailed by Variety magazine critic Richard Kuipers as “wonderfully directed and performed” and a “… a compelling study in the loss of innocence while offering potent commentary on the state of things in the Philippines.” He made special mention of lead actress Mary Joy Apostol for her magnetic screen presence that enabled her to hold her own in the company of reliable pros Arnold Reyes and John Arcilla. Birdshot is one of the first Philippine content to be released locally in the Philippines via Netflix.
“Birdshot is a mesmerizing thriller that’s beautifully shot and since its debut, the movie has been widely recognized by critics, and we are confident that it will equally resonate with the more than 117 million Netflix members globally,” said Robert Roy, VP of Content Acquisition at Netflix.
Red is equally excited about Birdshot being included in the Netflix lineup of offerings. “I’ve always been a fan and subscriber of the streaming service. Having a film on their platform is just a dream come true for me as a filmmaker and storyteller. It’s such a profound feeling, having your stories and imagination come to life and be shared with millions of streaming subscribers across the globe. I hope this also helps open doors for other Filipino filmmakers.”
TBA Studios Executive Producers Fernando Ortigas and Eduardo Rocha share that “a film of the caliber of Birdshot deserves to be viewed by the global audience. We are honored that Netflix chose our film to be part of their library. We are in the third Golden Age of Philippine Cinema while celebrating our film industry’s centennial year. Now more than ever, Filipino movies deserve to be seen by the world. A platform such as Netflix can help us accomplish that. Hopefully, Netflix will continue to tap more independent producers to be their content providers.”
Joe Caliro, Globe’s head of Creative Marketing and Multimedia Business, also shares, “As Globe was instrumental in getting Birdshot on Netflix, we are now inspired to strengthen more partnerships with content producers and come up with more exciting world-class projects. This kind of recognition just brings in a whole level of inspiration and another validation of the talent of the Filipino.“
Globe Studios Head Quark Henares sums it all up with this: “Birdshot on Netflix is a coup for both the service and Philippine cinema. I’m counting the days ’til I get to see Birdshot as the featured film on my Netflix page!”
Local audiences were able to catch Birdshot in the Cinemalaya film festival and at the Globe-supported Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino.
UPDATE (March 29, 2018; 5:15 p.m.)
Corrected the article for the claim that Birdshot is not the first but one of the first Philippine-made content to make it on the streaming service. We apologize for the confusion.
