ScreenSingapore has announced the finalists for the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market 2020.

Ten projects from China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand were selected based on the project’s co-production viabilities and the strength of the filmmaking team.

This year’s SAFF Project Market sees entries coming in from 14 countries and regions across Asia, Europe, and North America, including first-timers from Finland, France, and Iran.

Taking Asian storytelling to the world

Since its launch in 2015, the SAFF Project Market has emerged as a recognised regional platform for established and upcoming content creators to come together and present their projects to the international marketplace.

Finalists will be able to meet with financiers, commissioners, and investors – albeit virtually this year – who will be able to bridge them with the resources needed to take their projects to a global audience.

Selected projects will join the ranks of SAFF Project Market alumni who have seen their projects produced, undergo production, or acquire financing.

“The SAFF Project Market funnels expertise and resource from people all over the world and brings them ‘to-the-table’ with filmmakers for projects that have the potential for a worldwide audience. Their input gave me different perspectives that have been beneficial to the projects that we have in development,” said Anne Prado-Magadia, President, Atom & Anne Mediaworks, and a previous participant.

“SAFF Project Market creates concrete linkages between creators and buyers. The network is definitely getting bigger every year and we’re always building new relationships with producers, financiers, and distributors from the region and beyond,” said Micah Tadena, Producer, Quantum Run, and also a previous participant.

Enabling Southeast Asia partnerships in media

Held alongside the SAFF Project Market is ScreenSingapore’s SAFF Forum. The theme for this year’s SAFF Forum is Southeast Asian Partnerships in Media: Content, Connectivity & Capability will be centred on the changing landscape of content buying to discussing concepts that will lend fresh perspectives in Southeast Asian co-productions.

The fixed-timing afternoon sessions across all four days during ATF Online+ 2020 is not only a new format but will also be live-streamed while meetings take place during the closed-door SAFF Project Market Speed Dating sessions. Participants can attend the conference sessions while waiting for their meeting time slot.

The initial line-up of speakers and panellists for the SAFF Forum include:

– Abhi Rastogi, CEO, 108 Media

– Himanshu Shah, Owner, AV8 Media Pte Ltd

– Jeremy Chua, Founder, Potocol

– Rashid Karim, CEO, Iskandar Malaysia Studios

– Anthony Tulloch, General Manager, Iskandar Malaysia Studios

– Elliot Renton, Senior Director & Head of Asia-Pacific, Grabyo

Bridging Asian and European producers

TIES THAT BIND (TTB), a workshop programme which combines producer training, project development, and co-production meetings focusing on co-operation between European and Asian producers, returns this year as part of the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore’s line-up of events.

Five Asian and five European producers with their projects under development have been selected to be part of the workshop which will take place online from 16 to 30 November 2020.

The selected producers will also have the opportunity to meet decision-makers at the ATF Online+ platform from 1 to 4 December 2020.

The line-up of decision-makers they stand to meet are:

– Alexis Hofmann of BAC Films (France)

– Bugno Vincenzo of World Cinema Fund (Germany)

– Carole Baraton of Charades (France)

– Charles Tesson of Aide aux cinemas du monde & Semaine de la critique Cannes (France)

– Emilie Serres of Orange Studio (France)

– Georges Goldenstern of Cinefondation (France)

– Keiko Funato of Alpha Violet (France)

– Per-Eirik Gilsvik of Sorfond (Norway)

Justin Deimen, Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), which coorganises the SAFF Project Market and Forum, said, “SAAVA is excited to present these films to the market as year on year, we continue to have an eclectic and electric mix of projects from established and emerging voices in the region, even while the industry pivots to new ways of connecting to each other and keeping business lines open.”

Yeow Hui Leng, Group Project Director of ATF and ScreenSingapore, said, “Our digital platform facilitates the smooth exchange of ideas and expertise between Asian producers and decision-makers from the rest of the world. This is a great opportunity for Asian storytelling to go the distance, and we are encouraged by the level of support and participation received for our new format this year”.

ScreenSingapore’s SAFF Project Market and Forum, and TTB meetings will take place virtually at ATF Online+ from 1 – 4 December 2020. TTB workshops begin earlier on 16 November. ScreenSingapore is part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF).