Editor

Reed Exhibitions (organiser of co-locating premier film & TV trade events ScreenSingapore and Asia TV Forum & Market​) 

and Southeast Asia Audio Visual Association (SAAVA) has received an overwhelming number of 148 projects from 22 countries for the recent call of submissions at the inaugural Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market. 

The first of its kind to be featured at ScreenSingapore, the SAFF project market aims to connect producers and their projects with commissioners, investors and co-production partners. The SAFF Project Market will be held from 2-4 December 2015 at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands. 

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Reed Exhibitions, organiser of co-locating trade events ScreenSingapore and Asia TV Forum & Market, together with Southeast Asia Audio Visual Association (SAAVA) jointly announce the overwhelming number of project submissions received for the inaugural Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market, a new feature at ScreenSingapore – Southeast Asia’s marketplace for filmed entertainment. A total of 148 project submissions from 22 countries were received at the close of 30 September when the call for project submission ended.

“We’re encouraged and motivated by the support given by the international industry for the inaugural SAFF Project Market. The overwhelming response is testament to the relevance of the Project Market and the media financing focus to the film industry, especially in Southeast Asia. I hope to see SAFF grow in significance in the near future as we tap into the potential of producers and media professionals that we have in the region,” said Justin Deimen, Executive Director of SAAVA.

Echoing similar sentiment, Ms Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director of Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore, Reed Exhibitions said “One of the key focus areas for ScreenSingapore has always been talent development of our Asian filmmakers, producers and scriptwriters. Film financing is a subject that is close to the heart of the film industry in Southeast Asia. The SAFF Project Market, a new feature at ScreenSingapore, addresses it by bringing in investors and co-production partners to meet with promising talents to collaborate on their projects”.

The SAFF Project Market serves to connect promising filmmakers and their projects with commissioners, investors, and co-production partners to bring the project to fruition. The call for submission was open to documentary, fiction, and animated feature film projects featuring a Southeast Asian element, not in the late stage of production at the time of application, and must not yet be fully financed. This project market is organised in partnership by ScreenSingapore, SAAVA and the prestigious Ties That Bind producing programme from Europe.

"The depth of stories, filmmakers and producers from the Southeast Asia is phenomenal. We are seeing a beautiful and exciting synergy happening between the established film communities from all over the world working with undiscovered talents in this region," said Paolo Bertolin, Consultant to the Venice International Film Festival and part of the SAFF Project Market selection panel.

With the closure of the call for submission, the 5-member selection panel will now convene to evaluate the 148 projects from across 22 countries to shortlist the Top 10 projects that will feature at the inaugural SAFF Project Market at ScreenSingapore. Information on the Top 10 selected projects will be made available in November.

To find out more about ScreenSingapore, an event under the Singapore Media Festival, please visit www.screensingapore.com.​sg.​

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About Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA)

The Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), a non-profit association that seeks to unify media producers and media financiers in the region. The association's mission is to advance creative development across the region, promote Southeast Asian audio-visual content and capabilities internationally, as well as stimulate business collaborations between its members.

To register as a member, please visit​w​ww.saava.org

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events organiser, with over 500 events in 43 countries. In 2014, Reed brought together over seven million event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and are organised by 41 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries.

For more information, visit w​ww.reedexpo.com

About Singapore Media Festival (SMF)

The Singapore Media Festival, hosted by Media Development Authority, is set to become one of Asiaʼs leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talents and contents in Asia for Film and TV. It brings together established media events – Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore (SS), Asian Television Awards (ATA) and Digital Matters, which will take place from 26 November to 6 December 2015.

For more information about the Singapore Media Festival, please visit sgmediafestival.com.​