TBA Studios acquires critically-acclaimed Filipino-Irish thriller ‘Nocebo’

TBA Studios has acquired the Philippine theatrical distribution rights to “Nocebo,” the Filipino-Irish suspense thriller starring Eva Green (“300: Rise of an Empire”), Mark Strong (“Shazam!”), and Cebuana actress Chai Fonacier (“Patay na si Hesus”). 

Directed by Irish Film and Television Awards-winning filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium”) and written by Garret Shanley (“Without Name”), “Nocebo” centers on Christine, a fashion designer (Green) who suffers from a mysterious illness that confounds her doctors and frustrates her husband, Felix (Strong). Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino nanny (Fonacier) 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 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 is TBA Studios' first project with Bianca Balbuena of Epicmedia and Chiu looks forward to a promising partnership with her fellow producer. "Bianca 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 releases of Cannes-winning films “Triangle of Sadness”, a cinematic masterpiece which actress Dolly de Leon made history as the first Filipina to be nominated for Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress; and “Plan 75”, Japan’s entry to the Academy Awards that likewise stars a thespian of Filipino descent, Stefanie Arianne. 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.

For more updates on Nocebo, visit tba.ph and follow TBA Studios on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube. Join the conversation online using the hashtag #NoceboPH.