MANILA - The local film industry wants to put more Filipino films and documentaries on Netflix and other streaming websites as cinemas remain shuttered in the Philippines amid COVID-19, a film official said Tuesday.

Video-streaming services began acquiring between 5 and 15 Filipino films every month since June, and there are at least 70 Philippine titles on these platforms now, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Liza Diño said during a budget hearing in the Senate.

"Dumadami pa siya every month kasi on going pa ang pakikipag-usap ng ating producers para magka-space ang ating mga pelikula, especially now that cinemas are closed," she said.

(The number is increasing every month as producers are still in talks to have more space for our films in these platforms, especially now that cinemas are closed.)

Besides classic Filipino movies, producers are also crafting more animation, short features, and documentaries for streaming platforms, Diño said.

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"These are more adaptable and more palatable to the digital platform... [kasi] ang attention span ng mga tao [online] maliit (because people online have a shorter attention span)," she said.

Philippine embassies have also been using local films "as a way of connecting with their constituencies," she said.

Diño appealed to senators to continuously support the local film industry, especially as most production houses operate on a limited capacity due to the global pandemic.

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