Antoinette Jadaone’s Ilaya Ilaya Studios Makes International Debut at Busan Film Market
BUSAN, South Korea—It takes a village to make a film, but an entire industry to make the world watch it.
Just weeks after bringing local cinema giants in one room for its star-studded launch, critically acclaimed filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone and producer Reign Anne de Guzman's Ilaya Ilaya Studios joined the powerhouse Philippine delegation at the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) in Busan, South Korea, from October 10 to 13.
Philippine cinema’s newest film production company made its international film market debut at ACFM bringing dark comedy Boldstar and found-footage horror Birdsong—the first two titles in Ilaya Ilaya’s women-led inaugural slate for 2027—to Booth B43 of Asia’s premier content market, where Jadaone and De Guzman showcased the projects, shared industry insights and built relationships with potential collaborators.
Directed by Jadaone, Boldstar stars her longtime collaborator Angelica Panganiban (That Thing Called Tadhana, The Kangks Show) as a mother-slash-outmoded sex bombshell who gets a second chance at fame and financial survival when a sex tape leaks online. The film, which won the $10,000 CJ Entertainment Award at the 2019 Asian Project Market in Busan but paused development due to the pandemic, is produced by Epicmedia Productions, Inc.’s Bianca Balbuena, who also produced Jadaone's Berlinale-awarded Sunshine and Rafael Manuel's Filipiñana, the Philippines' 2027 Oscars submission for Best International Feature Film.
“Nagbabalik ang Boldstar sa Busan! (Boldstar has returned to Busan!),” Jadaone said. “We really want to reintroduce the film and continue the journey it started all those years ago.”
Meanwhile, directed by Gawad Urian-acclaimed filmmaker Pam Miras and written by FAMAS winner Glenn Barit, Birdsong follows actress Kaila Estrada as an ornithologist who searches for a mythical bird in a remote mountain a decade after her partner’s disappearance. Jadaone, who co-produces the project with blockbuster director Irene Emma Villamor (The Loved One, Midnight Girls), teased an unsettling paradox in the film: “What if birdwatchers are the ones being watched?”
Although Birdsong is based on Filipino concepts, Jadaone said Ilaya Ilaya envision the film appealing broadly to horror fans across Asia. The film recently bagged the Kantana Sound Studio Asian Project Award at the Bangkok International Content Market 2026 in Thailand last July.
Jadaone and De Guzman also met with possible collaborators on other Ilaya Ilaya projects lined up for 2027, including Cinemalaya-laureled filmmaker Tim Rone Villanueva's Chandra Catacutan and the Curse of the Fuchsia Moon, which features Eugene Domingo as the eldest daughter of a manananggal.
Filipino Representation
Jadaone saw the strong turnout of the Philippine delegation at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which hosts the ACFM, as a shared victory of Philippine cinema. In joining the festival, she said Ilaya Ilaya seeks to do its part in the collective push to bring the local industry closer and carve out space for Filipino creators globally.
"We met other Asian producers, distributors and collaborators," Jadaone said. "But it's even more exciting that many Pinoys attended. They were even asking about Ilaya Ilaya."
The Philippine contingent consisted of 36 filmmakers, 10 production companies, six producers, four official film selections, three featured projects and one project showcase, according to the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Jadaone is among the six producers, who include filmmakers Tin Velasco (Cine Canawili Productions, Inc.), Real Florido (Creazion Studios), Jed Medrano (FBN Media Production), Darlene Catly Malimas (Gushcloud Studios) and Geo Lomuntad (Super! Entertainment), forming the Philippine delegation to the ACFM Producer Hub, an information exchange program among producers pursuing international collaboration.
The multi-awarded filmmaker is also a member of the Philippine Independent Producers Group, which co-founded the newly launched international coalition Asian Producers Alliance alongside independent film producers from South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan during the second day of the 21st ACFM on October 11.
Other Philippine cinema titans present at the festival include FDCP chair Joey Reyes, QCinema festival director Ed Lejano and multi-awarded animator Carl Joseph Papa. Gawad Urian-winning director Arvin Belarmino also attended with CinePanalo-awarded actress Nour Hooshmand and FAMAS-acclaimed actress Sylvia Sanchez, who both star in Belarmino’s punk drama Ria, which won the 10-million KRW Heart of Eurasia Award in the 31st BIFF's Vision section.
“We're not just looking for opportunities for our individual films,” De Guzman said. “We're building long-term relationships that will allow us to develop, produce and bring more Filipino stories to audiences beyond our borders.”
Follow Ilaya Ilaya on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to stay updated on its Busan run and developments in its 2027 lineup.
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