Singapore – The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) hosted Asia’s leading converged media entertainment market, the Asia Television Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore where more than 4,000 international film and television trade delegates from 60 countries set foot in Singapore to trade, market, distribute and screen their content at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 3 – 6 December 2013.

Singapore took part in this year’s event with a strong showing of more than 70 film, television and animation companies bringing over 600 hours of locally-produced content to the Singapore Pavilion, for sale and distribution.

Specially curated onsite events such as business matching sessions and “Sneak Peeks” brought more collaboration opportunities for Singapore and international filmmakers and television producers, and also gave international buyers and distributors an exclusive preview to local content.

Here are some of the highlights at ATF this year:

For the first year, the SGFilm Channel was available at the pavilion, giving international visitors a taste of Singapore’s filmmaking capability, through 50 quality made-in-Singapore short films produced by local directors.

In addition, Singapore announced a launch of week-long international content week in end 2014. This exciting event, made up of Asia Television Forum & Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore, Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) and Asian Television Awards (ATA), will see the co-location of four key film and television events into a multi-faceted, seamless trade show that will meet the needs of international film and television media players looking for strategic business and promotional opportunities in a single event.

It will offer a strategic combination of TV Awards coupled with Silver Screen Awards to celebrate the best of Asian film and TV talent; a powerful merger of film festival and market for the film trade; a strengthening of an already very established TV market for content buyers; and for Singapore audiences, a chance to catch first rate films with a distinctive South East Asian flair. The event name and programming details will be announced in 2014.

Also, the 25th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) was announced that it will return in 2014.The festival, which has been instrumental in launching the careers of Singapore’s most notable filmmakers such as Eric Khoo, Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong and Boo Junfeng, will return in 2014 under the international content week and a new directorship.

For the first time, the Festival will have a market through its co-location with ScreenSingapore, offering filmmakers greater distribution, financing and networking opportunities with international delegates in attendance.

Furthermore, Singapore’s Silver Media Group and Los Angeles based Ford Movie Group have inked three MOUs to create six social and action films and distribute content

The first Memorandum is for the creation of InspirAsia, a slate consisting of compelling stories with strong social messages. The first film of three to be produced in the slate is Lanun, a crime saga about maritime piracy that exposes poverty and the conundrum of crime versus survival, which will start production in 3rd quarter 2014.

The second Memorandum is for the creation of ActionAsia, a slate of three action thrillers set in locations all over Asia. The first film of the slate is Home Invasion, a suspense thriller set in Singapore, which will start production in 2nd quarter of 2014.

Singapore’s MyChinaChannel and StarHub Cable TV have also announced a partnership with China Business Network TV to co-produce a Singapore Special edition for Brainstorm.

Brainstorm, a tent-pole programme on Shanghai Media Group (SMG)’s China Business News TV (CBNTV) will make its production debut in Singapore on December 6, 2013.