‘Shogun’ Star Hira Takehiro, Carlo Aquino’s ‘Crosspoint’ Acquired by Netflix From Fire and Ice Media at Busan ACFM (EXCLUSIVE)

Philippines-based Fire and Ice Media has sold Asia Pacific rights for Donie Ordiales’ “Crosspoint” to Netflix. The deal was struck at the recently-concluded Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), adjacent to the Busan International Film Festival.

The film stars award-winning Philippines actor Carlo Aquino (“Whispers in the Wind”) and Japan’s Hira Takehiro, Emmy nominated for his performance in “Shogun.” It follows Manuel Hidalgo (Aquino), once a famous Filipino actor, who moves to Japan after a career slump to survive by performing illegally in Filipino pubs. He meets Shigeru (Hira), a construction manager in his 50s who recently went bankrupt due to unpaid debts. Both men are desperate to change their lives. One day, they see a news report about a serial killer on the run—someone Manuel recognizes. Seeing a chance to solve their problems, they track down the killer and claim the reward money.

Fire and Ice is also representing Philippines auteur Brillante Mendoza’s “Motherland,” which had its world premiere at the Busan festival. The film follows the story of Dao-ayen, a member of the Philippines‘ Special Action Force from the Ifugao tribe in northern Luzon, who was part of the 2015 Mamasapano raid that resulted in the deaths of 44 people.

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“This year’s ACFM was a great experience for Fire and Ice Media. We were busy with back-to-back meetings, receiving many inquiries about our titles, and are currently in ongoing negotiations for several territories,” Fire and Ice’s Liza Diño-Seguerra told Variety. “A major achievement was closing the Asia Pacific rights for ‘Crosspoint’ with Netflix. We’re also negotiating ‘Motherland’ with distributors and exploring invitations for its next festivals. The interest has been strong, but we’re holding back on some territories due to potential OTT [streaming] sales.”

“Our strategic approach to film acquisition was further validated at ACFM, where we noticed a consistent demand for horror films. Many distributors were specifically looking for horror, which gives us clear insight into the types of films we should consider acquiring next,” Diño-Seguerra added. “With streaming platforms dominating how content is consumed, we are adapting our strategies to the evolving market. The traditional methods of film distribution and theatrical releases are rapidly changing.  As more audiences prefer the convenience of on-demand content, traditional cinema-going experiences, even in Korea, have significantly declined.”

“But ACFM was still a great platform for selling our films and learning more about the market. As first-time participants, we gained valuable insights that will help guide our company’s next steps,” Diño-Seguerra said.