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Benjie Austria of BenTria Productions
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Film producer Benjie Austria hopes to continue doing movies to sustain artists, prod crew

By Gabby Reyes Libarios
For Engr. Benjie Austria, the man behind BenTria Productions, producing films is his way of helping the industry and its players.

Some do it for fame, a few do it for the art, and quite a lot others do it for money. But for a very few men in the Entertainment industry, producing films can also be an advocacy.

One of those few is Engr. Benjie Austria, the producer of the soon-to-be-released Huwag Mo 'Kong Iwan, which stars Tom Rodriguez, JC De Vera, and Rhian Ramos.

For the uninitiated, Engr. Benjie Austria is the man that steers BenTria Productions, the same production company behind Broken Blooms, the award-wining movie directed by Louie Ignacio.

In case you didn't know, Broken Blooms is the same vehicle that won for its lead actor, Jeric Gonzales, mulitiple Best Actor honors at the Harlem International Film Festival in New York, Tagore International Film Festival and The Mokkho International Film Festival in India, and Montelupo Fiorentino International Independent Film Festival in Italy. Written by Ralston Jover and Ferdinand Lapuz, Broken Blooms is a story about how life's hard knocks gradually affects the love between a young newly married couple.

Engr. Benjie Austria and Rhian Ramos are all smiles during the media conference of 'Huwag Mo 'Kong Iwan'

The stars of 'Huwag Mo 'Kong Iwan' Tom Rodriguez, Rhian Ramos, and JC De Vera.


Despite being a newbie player in the industry (he only started in 2022), Benjie Austria has made film production his personal platform to help sustain the industry and the people working in it.

"For me, this is my passion. Ang dream ko lang talaga is mag-produce ng films. But over the years, it has also become my advocacy. This is my means of paying my blessings forward," he said in his interview with GMANetwork.com during an intimate dinner in Quezon City.

"I've always wanted to help the local movie industry, which we all know and can't deny, is facing a big challenge just to stay alive.

"I have two films now, Huwag Mo 'Kong Iwan, which will be shown on November 27, and Fatherland, which will be released in 2025," he said, referring to the movie helmed by Joel Lamangan and top-billed by Inigo Pascual, Arabella Davao, and Allen Dizon.

Winning awards and gaining profit from movies may be important, but they're not the be all and end all for Benjie.

"Right now, I don't think about ROI [Return on Investment]. I only think about producing films.

"You have to think not only about the stars of your film. You also have to think about the welfare of your staff, the production crew. My heart will always be for the people who work behind the scenes, the small players whose efforts make things easier for all of us on the set."

While Benjie is quick to downplay his accomplishments as a producer, history has proven how vital his role is in the grand scheme of things. Not many realize it but Benije came into the game at the height of the pandemic, a time when nobody was willing to bankroll on a project for fear of incurring big financial losses and embarrassment.

As one talented TV show producer and Benjie's long-time friend quipped, "Patay ang industriya no'n, then when he came into the picture [with Broken Blooms], he saved a lot of people by giving them work. He was a nobody. What he had was just a dream."

Turned out, this "dream" was actually Benjie's calling.

Benjie said, "Hindi man malaki yung mga pino-produce ko, ang importante ay nakatulong tayong makapagbigay ng trabaho. 'Yan ang advocacy ko. Gusto ko rin makatulong sa mga artista rin na walang trabaho. Gusto ko rin sila maka-achieve ng awards. Happy na ako do'n. Kahit thank-you lang, mula sa artista, sa direktor, hanggang sa maliliit na trabahador, malaking bagay na para sa akin 'yon. Napakasarap. I appreciate it."

This "selflessness" is the same reason Benjie Austria was recently given the the Leadership and Creative Excellence in Local Film Production honor by the 8th Outstanding Man of the Philippines 2025 and the Philippine Philanthropy Awards 2025.

Benjie said of his latest accolades, "More than anything, I see these awards as a reminder that there's still more work to be done, more films to be produced, more people to help. It's nice that people recognize your work."

Aside from his stars Rhian and Tom, Benjie Austria (second from right) is grateful for his friends Richard Hinola of BEST Magazine and Bigboy Villariza of Tiktoclock for being part of his support system.


This early, Benjie Austria is already setting his sights on spearheading a film festival that will highlight advocacies and social issues.

"I can see a festival that will put a spotlight on films that tackle social issues, like human trafficking, environmental conservation, poverty, inequality among the LGBTQ, victims of abuse, domestic violence," he said.

"It's time we celebrate the unsung film producers, the small directors who have the passion for socially-relevant movies but have never been given the chance to be seen and heard in a public venue. This might be a small step, but hopefully it will be an eye-opener for all of us, for the industry and for the public, that these issues are real and they're happening and that they need to be heard and addressed."

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