MANILA – TBA Studios has acquired the Philippine theatrical distribution rights to “Nocebo,” the Filipino-Irish suspense thriller starring Eva Green, Mark Strong, and Cebuana actress Chai Fonacier. 

Directed by Irish Film and Television Awards-winning filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan and written by Garret Shanley, “Nocebo” centers on Christine (Green), a fashion designer who suffers from a mysterious illness that confounds her doctors and frustrates her husband, Felix (Strong). 

Help arrives in the form of Diana (Fonacier), a Filipino nanny who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.

“Nocebo” was the opening film at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and had limited runs in various festivals at Sitges Film Festival, Cork International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, and QCinema International Film Festival. 

It was the first recipient of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)’s International Co-production Fund (ICOF) in 2020. “Nocebo” was produced by Brunella Cocchiglia and Emily Leo and co-produced by the Filipino production company, Epicmedia. It was executive produced by XYZ Films.

“TBA Studios is ecstatic to bring ‘Nocebo’ to a wider audience in the Philippines featuring our very own Chai Fonacier in an international film steeped in Filipino folklore. It is only fitting that our kababayans watch the movie on the biggest screen they could find with a crisp sound system to immerse in the world of ‘Nocebo,’” said Daphne O. Chiu, president and COO of TBA Studios.

This marks TBA Studios’ first project with Epicmedia and it looks forward to a promising partnership with her fellow producer. 

“Bianca (Balbuena) and I go way back since our Cinemalaya days and I’m thrilled to have a chance to work with her again after more than a decade. We hope this is the start of more exciting ventures for us both,” Chiu added. 

The film acquisition comes on the heels of the much-talked-about local release of Cannes-winning films “Triangle of Sadness” which features Dolly de Leon, who made history as the first Filipina to be nominated for Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress.

TBA Studios also distributed the award-winning “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which had a successful theatrical run in the Philippines.

This winning streak of highly-acclaimed film releases continues in “Nocebo” set to be released in Philippine cinemas on January 18, 2023.