EXCLUSIVE: Philippine producer-distributor CreaZion Studios is expanding its production slate with the next projects from filmmakers Ruel Santos Bayani, who is lining up a feature to shoot in Spain, and Green Bones director Zig Dulay.
Dulay, whose 2024 feature Green Bones won Best Picture at Metro Manila Film Festival, is developing character-driven drama Maria Maria for CreaZion. The story follows two Filipino women working as nurses in Canada whose lives intersect as they are forced to confront the past they both tried to escape – believing distance and reinvention would make it disappear.
CreaZion described the film as leaning into “Dulay’s signature grit and nuanced storytelling, anchored in deeply human performances”. In addition to Green Bones, a prison drama starring Dennis Trillo, Dulay’s credits include Bagahe (2017), which won Best Director at France’s Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema.
Bayani, who has credits including No Other Woman (2011), One More Try (2012) and Kasal (2018), is developing contemporary romance 142. Set to be filmed in Spain, the project is described as “exploring intimacy, timing and the complexities of relationships shaped by distance and personal evolution”.
“These two films reflect exactly where we see Filipino storytelling today – deeply personal, culturally specific, and yet undeniably universal,” said Anter “RJ” Agustin, CEO and President of CreaZion Studios.
“We strongly believe that Filipino stories can resonate anywhere in the world. The key is collaboration – working with filmmakers like Zig Dulay and Ruel Santos Bayani, who bring authenticity, craft, and a clear voice to their stories. Our goal is to champion these voices and connect them with global audiences.”
The two projects join an expanding slate of productions and co-productions from CreaZion Studios, which aims to internationalize Philippine content at the same time as delivering hits in their domestic market. CreaZion recently co-produced animated feature Zsazsa Zaturnnah, which has been selected to premiere at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and also recently announced Knock Three Times, directed by Jerrold Tarog (Quezon) and starring Julia Barretto and Charo Santos-Concio.
