TBA Studios is right on track in releasing independent and internationally-acclaimed titles with its newest title “Nocebo.” This Filipino-Irish film is a psychological thriller that stars our very own Filipina actress Chai Fonacier, who plays a mysterious visitor who brings Filipino folk remedies into the home of Eva Green and Mark Strong. 

After bringing Filipino folk magic to Ireland and the UK, “Nocebo” will finally hit local theaters in the Philippines on Jan. 18. From Irish Film and Television Awards-winning filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan (“Vivarium”), “Nocebo” centers on Christine, a fashion designer (Eva Green) who suffers from a mysterious illness that confounds her doctors and frustrates her husband, Felix (Mark Strong). Help arrives in the form of Diana, a Filipino nanny (Chai Fonacier) who uses traditional folk healing to reveal a horrifying truth.

Fonacier’s outstanding performance in the film has been praised by local and foreign critics alike. The New York Times lauded the “excellent actors” particularly highlighting the Cebuana actress’ “knack for coiled tension”. Movie review site RogerEbert.com noted that “Fonacier, whose measured performance is well-realized and deeply felt.”

Check out these snaps from the recent special advance screening of Nocebo at the Red Carpet Cinema of Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong.

Filmed in Dublin, Ireland for five and half weeks, and a week in Manila, “Nocebo” is a true Irish-Filipino co-production that worked on a script by Garret Shanley (“Without Name”). “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. “Nocebo” is also the first recipient of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)’s International Co-production Fund (ICOF) in 2020.

“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. 

“Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan is proving himself to be a master manipulator of benign space, turning the familiar or domestic into a nightmarish labyrinth of horror”

Nikki Baughan, Screen International

“Nocebo is an accomplished film… The film features terrifying images that are truly frightening, and others that are profoundly beautiful”

Julia Olmo, Cineuropa

Catch “Nocebo” in Philippine cinemas on January 18, distributed by TBA Studios.

For more information about the release of Nocebo in the Philippines, visit tba.ph and follow TBA Studios on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube. Join the conversation online using the hashtag #NoceboPH.