Mass-based organization builds slate of films

CARD MRI’s production house aims for wider audience with films that are both entertaining and have deep messages

BENTE PRODUCTIONS, a film production outfit that is part of a group of companies that provides services to the poor, is set to finish its second film this year.

Bente Productions is the multimedia arm of CARD MRI (CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions), a group of initiatives directed at providing key services to the poor, including those in remote areas. Founded by Jaime Aristotle Alip in 1986, its network of companies spans banking, finance, insurance, information technology, education, and culture.

“All of the products and services of the different companies work toward the universal goal of the CARD MRI group, which is poverty eradication in the Philippines. Our entire network addresses the different facets of poverty,” said Marilyn Manila, president of Bente Productions, in an exclusive Zoom interview with BusinessWorld.

“We are documenting everything, telling the world about organizations like us and opportunities which Filipinos can use to elevate their lives. We are capturing that in films, YouTube videos, and online content like talent shows and talk shows, where we try to package the message of hope in a popular platform,” she explained.

ROMANCE IN BORACAY
Bente Productions’ first film was the romantic drama I Remember You, starring JC Santos and Valeen Montenegro. Released in 2025 and directed by Boboy Yonzon, it follows a bank manager sent to Boracay to help a struggling community and eventually finding love as well.

The production company was formally founded in 2024, but CARD MRI had been producing films and videos even before that, Ms. Manila said.

“Our full-length films were preceded by our localized film festival for our clients and staff, which is now on our fifth year, called SineMaya,” she said. By investing in groups of employees, clients, students, and others in order to make short films, SineMaya empowers grassroots filmmakers to highlight social development and community stories.

“After two years, naisip namin na ang mga festival films, sa YouTube lang mapapanood (we realized that the festival films can only be seen on YouTube),” she said. “Kapag full-length films, mas makikita na sa sinehan. Maraming maaabot na tao (Whereas full-length films can be seen more in the cinema. They will reach a lot of people).”

Bente Productions’ current film project is Kusinerang Bulag (The Blind Chef), which recently wrapped up filming in Iloilo. The drama, starring Arra San Agustin and Jean Garcia, aims to showcase culinary heritage with a story about a chef who goes blind but continues to run her family’s restaurant.

The production outfit is also already developing the concept of its third film project, titled Sulat Para Kay Tatay (Letters for My Father), set to reflect the realities of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) with an emotional father-daughter story.

GRASSROOTS APPROACH
Ms. Manila explained that Bente Productions is uniquely placed in the creative economy because of its ties to the CARD MRI network.

“Nation building and poverty eradication are our foremost goals, so we ensure that our films are very inclusive of the communities we work in. We hire a lot of non-actors that we train for key supporting roles, alongside the commissioned known actors,” she said. “We hold auditions for clients, invest in them, build their capacity to act in front of the camera, and pay them talent fees.”

This decision to work with people in the communities they are depicting and filming in extends to everyone in the crew, all the way to the suppliers, caterers, and transport providers. The first film involved people in Boracay and Panay Island, while the second film involved people in Iloilo and Batanes, where they also shot some scenes.

As for the creatives involved, Bente Productions only has a few in key positions, with major roles like directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers outsourced. The concepts are developed from pitches by CARD MRI staff and clients, who eventually shadow the professionals to learn the ropes of filmmaking themselves.

Sulat Para Kay Tatay, for example, was submitted by a budding writer, Eduardo Pacquiao, and selected through CARD MRI’s scriptwriting competition held last year. Because the group has 10 million clients all over the Philippines and a massive network on the ground, Bente Productions will continue employing a mass-based approach, said Ms. Manila.

WIDENING THEIR REACH
She told BusinessWorld that they are constantly studying their impact on the creative economy. For example, they learned that their first film was seen more in the provinces rather than the cities.

“We’re mass-based, so we have a strong presence on the ground. The campaign should also be like that, because that’s the structure of CARD MRI. Social media and mainstream media are still there, but we’ve proved that we work better by using our grassroots network,” she said.

With the third film, Bente Productions hopes to break into the film festival circuit, which would widen their reach — though they will still maintain their grassroots campaigns.

“After the theatrical release of I Remember You, marami kaming clients sa mga lugar na walang sinehan (we had a lot of clients in places without cinemas) like Masbate or Marinduque or Lanao del Sur, who said they also wanted to watch [the film],” Ms. Manila said. “What we did is we screened the film in venues like basketball courts. We will continue that approach.”

Because the third film’s subject matter will be the reality of OFWs, they also aim to tap the Filipino diaspora as a market for the film. Meanwhile, their long-term goal is to build a reputation as a film production company.

“Gusto namin gumawa ng mga pelikula na may saysay sa lipunang Pilipino, na entertaining and at the same time malalim ang mensahe (We want to make films that are relevant to Philippine society, that are both entertaining and with a deep message).” — Brontë H. Lacsamana