The Philippines is hosting the ASEAN Film and TV Summit 2026 from August 12-14 at Seda Manila Bay, bringing together industry leaders, producers, archivists, educators, policy makers, and cultural institutions from across the region.
Organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in collaboration with the Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN), the summit runs under the theme “Navigating Our Future Together.”
The program is designed to foster cultural understanding, exchange insights on the region’s evolving screen market, and strengthen international relations among participating countries.
Confirmed attending agencies include Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, Indonesia’s Badan Perfilman, Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, along with the European Film Agency Directors Association and France’s CNC.
On August 12, delegates will visit heritage sites in Intramuros, including the Philippine Film Heritage Building, offering insight into the country’s cinematic history.
On August 13, a keynote by Prof. Patrick F. Campos will lead a public forum on film archiving and film education, examining the challenges and opportunities facing both fields in preserving cinematic heritage.
Running alongside the summit from August 9-14, the AFAN Boot Camp for Young Filmmakers brings together 16 emerging filmmakers from across Asia for an intensive lab covering script development, co-production, and project pitching, with participants’ works screened at Ayala Malls Cinema and FDCP Cinematheque Centers in Manila, Bacolod, and Iloilo, followed by industry mixers connecting them with Filipino producers and filmmakers.
The summit follows momentum from the 2025 edition, where delegates called for institutionalizing film as both cultural diplomacy and an export commodity, and pushed for a formal ASEAN Co-Production Agreement to enable joint funding and cross-border storytelling.
With this year’s summit placing renewed emphasis on heritage preservation and nurturing new filmmakers talent, the Philippines’ hosting role marks another step in ASEAN’s ongoing effort to turn its shared cinematic ambitious into concrete regional cooperation.
