Ang Reality Entertainment Inc. producers na sina Dondon Monteverde at Erik Matti ang nasa likod ng UPSTREAM.ph, ang video-on-demand platform na itinatag nila nang magsimula ang coronavirus pandemic.
Si Monteverde ang managing business partner at si Matti ang managing creative partner.
Si Monteverde ang nagpaliwanag tungkol sa kasaysayan at mga layunin ng streaming service nang humarap sila ni Matti sa entertainment press sa pamamagitan ng Zoom conference.
"We started thinking about it bandang April and May. During that time, na-cancel yung 1st Metro Manila Summer Film Festival.
"Maraming contents ang natapos na even kami, may mga natapos nang contents, hindi namin alam kung saan dadalhin.
"We thought noong unang nag-lockdown, it was gonna only take a week or two, but then we realized na it was gonna take longer than we thought.
"Until now, we’re still on lockdown and the cinemas are still closed until this time especially sa National Capital Region kaya ipinanganak ang UPSTREAM.ph."
UPSTREAM.PH, MMFF OFFICIAL PARTNER
Dahil naging in-demand ang mga streaming-service apps nitong pandemya, sakto na pinursige nina Dondon at Direk Erik ang ideya na ito.
“Na-foresee namin ang UPSTREAM, lalo na walang mga sinehan. It’s dangerous to go to the cinemas for now because of the pandemic. At saka nakita namin sa news in other countries, ganoon din.
"Nakita namin talaga yung surge ng people going online, pati people going to Netflix. Tumaas ang subscription nila so why not put something for the local audience?
Nakipag-tie up daw sila sa isang telecom para sa "strong infrastructure" at "subscribers base."
Sa December 25 magsisimula ang 46th Metro Manila Film Festival at dahil sarado pa ang mga sinehan, mabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga Pilipino sa buong mundo na mapanood ang sampung pelikulang kalahok sa pamamagitan ng UPSTREAM.ph, na pinili ng Metro Manila Development Authority ( MMDA ) at ng Metro Manila Film Festival Executive Committee para maging official partner.
"UPSTREAM.ph is actually made for the Filipinos talaga. Ang slogan namin is Made by Filipinos, For the Filipinos."
Ang upstream, ayon kay Dondon, ay "very friendly for the Filipino producers" lalo pa't lumawak ang reach ng pelikulang Pilipino na ipapalabas.
“Yung mga content natin here sa Philippines, we would be able to showcase not only for Filipinos, but connect it even to Filipinos abroad. It’s also friendly for foreigners.
"Our family, my mom [Lily Monteverde] is a producer for a long time. Alam namin ni Erik ang nararamdaman ng producers kapag hindi nila alam kung saan dadalhin ang kanilang content. We open the door for them to bring their content to UPSTREAM.
"Ang kagandahan nito, when they bring the content here, dati nakasanayan natin just for the domestic market. Now, na-realize din ng mga Filipino content producer natin na if we put it sa UPSTREAM, we can reach the Filipinos abroad. Mas lumaki ang market base nila. It gives them a better chance to recoup their investment.”
Hindi raw nagdalawang-isip ang pamunuan ng MMFF na humanap ng streaming partner since na-cancel yung dapat sana ay unang Metro Manila Summer Film Festival.
Isang TV giant ang kasama sa mga nag-bid.
"Kami yung pang-apat sa nag-present kasi nag-present din ang ABS-CBN and others. I think MMDA really set some criteria that they wanted."
Sa affordable at reasonable ticket price na PHP250 sa bawat opisyal na kalahok, mapapanood sa buong mundo at mula kahit saan lugar ang mga pelikula ng 46th Metro Manila Film Festival.
Buong pamilya ang puwedeng manood at hindi na nila kailangan umalis mula sa kanilang mga tahanan dahil mahalagang makaiwas ang lahat sa banta ng COVID-19.
Pero iginiit ni Dondon na walang dapat ikabahala ang mga may-ari ng sinehan.
In fact, sa United States ay sabay nang ipapalabas sa sinehan at sa pamamagitan ng streaming service ang mga pelikulang The Matrix 4, Dozilla VS Kong, The Conjuring, The Suicide Squad, to name a few, sa 2021.
Sa pagpapatuloy ni Dondon, “We look at this as a collaborative work just to showcase the art of the Filipinos. We have to work together.
"It’s not about because you’re the cinema chain we want it there or because you’re in UPSTREAM, so you weren’t there.
“Dapat magkaroon ng collaborative effort to showcase what a Filipino creator can do, and we should all work together as one in promoting it, not only here in the Philippines but also for abroad.
"I think that’s the goal we should all instill. Yun ang learnings,” ang sabi ni Monteverde na ibinigay na halimbawa ang desisyon ng Warner Bros. na pagsabayin ang online streaming sa HBO Max at pagbubukas sa mga sinehan sa 2021 ng mga pelikula nito.
"We should all work together. If content producers are enticed to do more projects, it gives more jobs to Filipinos especially para sa mga bagong content creator na gustong pumasok sa movie-making field.
"Dapat siguro everyone should think as one on how to promote this para lalong lumaki ang industry. No one should think for only one, all should think for one.
“Mas magiging malaki ang market, maraming producers ang ma-e-entice to actually create more projects. It will give more work to our kababayans,” ang pagtatapos ni Dondon.