Singapore – Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore 2016, Asia’s premier entertainment content market and conference, was officially launched by Mr. Chee Hong Tat, Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information. Part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), this marks the 17th edition of ATF and the 6th edition of ScreenSingapore. In line with this year’s theme of “Content on every screen”, the market floor will feature the latest offerings in TV, film and digital media. Concurrently, industry luminaries will deep-dive into the latest trends at the conferences, equipping delegates with up-to-date insights that will allow them to stay updated on industry movements. Over 5000 attendees from all over the world are expected to convene from 6 to 9 December 2016, to exchange insights and acquire knowledge while securing opportunities to buy, sell, finance, distribute and co-produce.

 

The ATF and ScreenSingapore market floor is the largest to date, with 738 exhibiting companies

representing key Asian brands and major studios including CBS Studios International, Disney, Twentieth

Century Fox Television Distribution Inc., MGM Worldwide Television, NBC Universal Television, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Television and Warner Bros. International Television. Companies exhibiting for the first time include Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, Russia Today, Scripps Networks

Interactive, Signal Media and Sky Vision. In addition, ATF and ScreenSingapore also welcome new pavilions from Canada, Korea (Asia CGI Animation Center, KCA – Korea Communications Agency, RAPA – Korea Radio Promotion Association), Spain (Audiovisual from Spain) and Turkey (Istanbul Chamber of Commerce). In total, there is a record high of 21 official pavilions representing Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

 

With virtual reality (VR) making its foray across various content platforms, ATF and ScreenSingapore will introduce Digital@ATF at the market. This new zone houses Digital Corridor, a showcase of the latest and most innovative technologies that support this growing appendage. Also within the area is a VR & Transmedia showcase, where award-winning VR productions such as “Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness” and “I, Philip” will immerse delegates into an alternate reality. Attendees can also participate in Transmedia Producers Workshop sessions, to hear from key players about opportunities and issues in this new burgeoning arena. Besides the latest and freshest content from all over the world, ATF and ScreenSingapore will present compelling insights from the industry’s brightest masterminds, providing delegates with the keys to navigate Asia’s dynamic content market. Addressing the evolving digital landscape at the C-Level Summit yesterday, C-suites from Asia and beyond provided valuable analysis and knowledge with a focus on “Managing the Business of Disruptors”. David Fernando Audy, President Director of PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk (MNC) (Indonesia) delivered a keynote about “What Digital Means in the World’s Third Largest Country”. At a separate keynote session, Yong-Ju Jeon, Chief Executive Officer of D’Live and iHQ (South Korea) presented insights on “Platform Agility & Content Dynamics”. Junior@ATF will welcome another industry stalwart, Seung-Hyun Oh, Chief Creative Officer of MNC Animation (Indonesia) for a keynote on “Wee Watchers, Big Business”, that will shed light on changing landscape of kids’ content, challenges facing the industry and how Asia is rising in this lucrative segment. Another mainstay of the ATF conference, Formats@ATF (8 December 2016), will focus on “TV’s Future in Asian Formats” this year, providing intelligence into regional trends and opportunities.

Adding to the power-packed line-up, the ATF conference will shine a spotlight on China, Indochina and Southeast Asia, with new Market Focus sessions where influential in-market veterans and analysts are expected to intensify interest in these key territories.

 

On 9 December 2016, ScreenSingapore will gather some 30-film luminaries from Southeast Asia and beyond to address present-day concerns faced by filmmakers in the region. Themed “The New

Independent: Producing for a Globalised Film Economy”, the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF)

Conference will focus on topics including film financing, strategies for generating return-on-investment, the perfect pitch package, and trends in the regional industry. Amongst high-profile industry leaders present is Kathy Morgan, Executive Producer of Academy Award-winning The Danish Girl (USA), who will deliver a closing keynote titled “Producer or Distributor: The Sales Agent in Hollywood and the World”.

 

The SAFF Conference is a part of ScreenSingapore and is co-organised by the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), and supported by Ties That Bind: Asia/Europe Producers Workshops (TTB),

To facilitate an exchange of ideas and talent between the international and Asian content fraternities, ATF and all3media International have introduced the first-ever ATF Formats Pitch. This premier Asian pitching competition is a platform to connect Asian-based producers and their in-development unscripted formats with commissioners, investors and co-production partners. From a pool of entries representing Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine and USA, five finalists were shortlisted for a live judging session on 8 December 2016, where selected producers will present their new and original, non-scripted entertainment formats to a starstudded jury. A S$20,000 prize from all3media International – comprising a cash award and consultancy package – awaits the winner on 8 December 2016.

 

Providing another platform for Southeast Asian film talent to shine, the SAFF Project Market will return for another edition, after a successful first year in 2015. Of the 10 shortlisted finalists in 2015, 4 projects are currently in production and scheduled for release in 2017. A partnership between ScreenSingapore, SAAVA and TTB, and supported by the Asia-Europe Foundation

(ASEF), this pitching competition is Southeast Asia’s first co-production project market that aims to match promising feature-length projects with a global network of media financiers, distributors, and collaborators who can bring these project to fruition. This year, 15 finalists from Cambodia, Indonesia,

Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam will be vying for the cash prize of S$20,000 to jump-start their feature-length films. The winner will be announced at a prize giving ceremony on 9

December 2016.