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The Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market 2019, on the platform of ScreenSingapore, today announced the line-up of this year’s selection panel.

On board this year is Carlene Tan, Senior Manager, Animation Development at The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia); Anderson Le, Co-director of Programming, Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) | Programmer, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival | Programming Consultant, Far East Film Festival; and Marie Roselle Y. Monteverde, Executive Vice President, Regal Entertainment, Inc.

Justin Deimen, Executive Director of the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), which co-organises the SAFF Project Market, said, “We are excited to welcome our panellists this year and they each represent a uniquely qualified eye towards identifying the best projects and filmmakers from around the region. This builds on the confidence from financiers and audiences in recognising the role of SAAVA and the contribution of the SAFF Project Market towards enhancing the infrastructure of the Southeast Asian content industry in bringing together financing, distribution, and co-productions.

Enhancing the Ecosystem

As an all-encompassing content market, the SAFF Project Market will expand and evolve as finalists meet with financiers, commissioners and investors, as well as listen in on a curated discussion panel by decision makers.

Since its launch in 2015, the SAFF Project Market has become a key regional platform for established and upcoming content creators to come together and present their projects to the international marketplace. With approximately half of the projects coming through its ranks having been produced, in production, or acquiring financing, the SAFF Project Market has proven to be the region’s most effective film financing platform for filmmakers working in Southeast Asia.

Encouraging Road Ahead

Past finalists of the SAFF Project Market continue to make a mark for themselves, underlining the real value of being part of the alumni in connecting dots and making dreams come true.

Kerwin Go, who participated as a finalist in 2017, has since seen his project Mina-Anud completed, with the anticipation of being released in the Philippines on August 21, 2019, through the participation of Regal Entertainment’s Marie Roselle, who met the project and its team at the market.

“Mina-Anud was inspired by true events in 2009 when 3 tonnes of cocaine washed up on the shores of the province of Eastern Samar,” Kerwin stated. “People didn't know what the cocaine bricks were. There were reports of people using them to wash clothes with, and mistakenly being used as a coffee creamer. I was spending a lot of time surfing in Samar when this happened and thought I should make this into a movie someday.”

A pioneering filmmaker in Laos, Mattie Do had her project, “The Long Walk” go into production in Sept 2018, since her own participation at the inaugural SAFF Project Market in 2015. Supported by Aurora Media Holdings and 108 Media, “The Long Walk” has been selected for the Venice International Film Festival and is due a release this year.

“The SAFF Project Market was wonderful for increasing my network of other Southeast Asian filmmakers, and connecting me to amazing people working in the film industry in our region here,” Mattie expressed. “It's been great to meet and get to know the other creatives in our line of work that are based in Southeast Asia, and who have lots of experience in our very unique, local industry.

“Past participants have been able to form a “brotherhood” that allows us to seek support from each other.”

ScreenSingapore takes place from 4 to 6 December 2019, and is a part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF). For more information, please visit www.asiatvforum.com