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ScreenSingapore, together with the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), today announced the full slate of film dignitaries who will be speaking at the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Conference.

On 1 December 2017, a contingent of film and media financing experts from around the world will address present-day opportunities and trends in content producing in Southeast Asia, including the new models of co-productions, new media business models, the rise of the Indonesian film economy, creating marketing and sales strategies for Indie filmmaking, and the art of nurturing local IPs into global franchises.

Following two successful editions, the third SAFF Project Market has also released its shortlist of promising feature-length projects that will have a shot at financing, distribution and collaboration opportunities to bring these films to fruition. This pitching competition and launch pad for filmmakers from the region is a partnership between ScreenSingapore, SAAVA and TTB.

From a large number of submissions from various Southeast Asian countries, an esteemed panel of judges identified 15 finalists from Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore (in collaboration with producers from India and Mauritius) and Thailand. Coinciding with the spotlight on Indonesia, there will be five projects from the country.

Third Southeast Asian Film Financing Project Market reveals shortlist

ScreenSingapore, together with the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), today announced the full slate of film dignitaries who will be speaking at the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Conference. The third edition of the SAFF Project Market also released its shortlist, with 15 projects from across Southeast Asia.

“For seven years now, ScreenSingapore has been a key Southeast Asian platform that gathers the global industry’s best minds, for power-packed conference sessions that deliver actionable insights about the dynamic film landscape. We are deeply appreciative of partners like SAAVA and Ties That Bind: Asia/Europe Producers Workshops (TTB) that have joined hands with us to groom the next generation of Southeast Asian filmmakers. We certainly look forward to bringing more stories from the region, to the world,” said Yeow Hui Ling, Senior Project Director of ScreenSingapore and Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), Reed Exhibitions.

Justin Deimen, Executive Director of SAAVA and Managing Partner of the Aurora Global Media Capital fund added, “As we march onto our third edition, we continue to view the positive impact of our SAFF Project Market and Conference within the regional filmmaking community and the network it creates for financiers, producers, and the rest of the ecosystem. The selection of projects and filmmakers we have this year at the SAFF Project Market is world-class and points to a deep pool of talent in Southeast Asia that will be showcased to international investors. With Indonesia as our Country of Focus this year, we’re excited to create more inter-regional co-production opportunities with a marketplace of tremendous potential. The high-level SAFF Conference is put together with the focus on training producers in the importance of utilising new financing strategies available in our region to create global content through international co-productions and understanding what the market is looking for in the coming year.”

SAFF Conference - New Independent: Producing for a Globalised Film Economy

On 1 December 2017, a contingent of film and media financing experts from around the world will address present-day opportunities and trends in content producing in Southeast Asia, including the new models of co-productions, new media business models, the rise of the Indonesian film economy, creating marketing and sales strategies for Indie filmmaking, and the art of nurturing local IPs into global franchises.

Amongst these are heavyweights Kurt Rieder, Executive Vice President (APAC) of 20th Century Fox and Martin McCourt, Investment Head at London Pacific Finance. At the keynote panel, “Bringing a Local IP into the Global State”, they will discuss how to nurture localised IPs and stories, and prime them to go global, in their experience as successful producers and studio executives.

The panel “Europe & Asia: An Insight into Co-Productions” will kick off the day, where producers from Asia and Europe will discuss co-production opportunities and case studies, discussing practical steps in structuring a co-production through the mixture of different kinds of monies and production considerations. Amongst the speakers are Chan Gin Kai, the President of SAAVA and one of the region’s most sought-after film financing and co-production experts, and Jonas Weydemann, a prolific German producer, the national coordinator for the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs (EAVE) and member of the European Film Academy.

The next panel puts a spotlight on Indonesia, ScreenSingapore’s Country of Focus this year. It will look at the country’s Goldilocks formula of having the right demographics, a budding digital and brick-and-mortar infrastructure, as well as a maturing audience and filmmaking base. One of the country’s most respected filmmakers, Ifa Isfansyah of Fourcolours Films will be discussing his first-hand experiences together with Krishnan Rajagopalan, the co-founder of HOOQ and CEO of Whacked Out Media.

Marketing and film festival experts such as Sreyashi Sen, Founder of Darpan Singapore and Benjamin Illos, Programmer of the Cannes Directors' Fortnight together with Marco Mueller, Creative Festival Director of the Pingyao International Film Festival will discuss how independent filmmakers can create marketing buzz and secure distribution in this new brave new world. Celluloid Junkie’s Editor-in-Chief, Patrick von Sychowski will moderate.

And true to its nature, the SAFF Conference will present “Meet the Financiers”, a session that will answer the important questions that producers have for investors and distributors. The panel will include Jeremy Sim, Managing Partner of Aurora Global Media Capital and Dhruv Sinha, Head (Hollywood & Overseas Business) for RELIANCE Entertainment. Continuing the themes of establishing business fundamentals in the creative industries, other sessions include “Sourcing for New Business Models in Media Financing”.

SAFF Project Market 2017 shortlist announced

Following two successful editions, the third SAFF Project Market has released its shortlist of promising feature-length projects that will have a shot at financing, distribution and collaboration opportunities to bring these films to fruition. This pitching competition and launch pad for filmmakers from the region is a partnership between ScreenSingapore, SAAVA and TTB.

From a large number of submissions from various Southeast Asian countries, an esteemed panel of judges identified 15 finalists from Malaysia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore (in collaboration with producers from India and Mauritius) and Thailand. Coinciding with the spotlight on Indonesia, there will be five projects from the country.

More details are available in Annex A below.

Distinguished international film leaders who handpicked the shortlist and will also be in Singapore to elect the SAFF Project Market 2017 winners are:

·         Chan Gin Kai, Executive Producer of Silver Media Group / Chairman of SAAVA

·         Kristina Trapp, CEO of European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs

·         Marco Muller, Artistic Director, Pingyao Film Festival

·         Krishnan Rajagopalan, CEO,  Whacked Out Media (and Co-Founder, HOOQ)

Prizes will be announced on 1 December 2017, following the SAFF conference. More details about the SAFF conference and SAFF Project Market are available at www.screensingapore.com.sg .

ScreenSingapore is co-located with ATF, and is part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF).