CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 3rd ASIA PACIFIC SCREEN LAB
Intensive development program for emerging filmmakers of Asia Pacific
Submissions are now open for the third round of the Asia Pacific Screen Lab (APSL), an intensive development lab aimed at screenwriters, directors and producers from the Asia Pacific region. The APSL focuses on stories exploring an Asia Pacific identity to be developed into feature length films of fiction, documentary or animation. The submission deadline is 30 September with the selected projects to be announced for the first time during the Busan International Film Festival in October 2016 by Kim Dong-ho, a strong supporter of the Asia Pacific Screen Lab.
The immersive year-long development incubator program for emerging filmmakers is an initiative of Griffith Film School(GFS), the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema), in collaboration with the Sun Foundation and Temenggong Artists in Residence, Singapore. The call for submissions was announced by Herman Van Eyken, Chair of the CILECT Asia Pacific Association, Philip Cheah, Advisor of NETPAC and Ki Yong Park (Founder Asian Film Academy) at the Shanghai International Film Festival on Tuesday.
At its core the APSL is a vehicle for enabling film co-productions by early career feature filmmakers from across the Asia Pacific, typically those who have made at least one feature film within the frame of their particular national cinema and are now ready for a larger framework. Bringing together the industry expertise and experience of Griffith Film School, NETPAC and the members of the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Academy.
A key strategy in this development is to take advantage of the Asia Pacific screen professionals that gather each year in Brisbane for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), which in 2016 celebrates its 10th edition.
The third intake of the APSL will see the filmmakers of the successful projects participate in intensive development workshops with acclaimed and prestigious practitioners.
The second APSL program is currently underway with the selected projects from Australian documentary filmmaker Jakeb Anhvu and Iraqi filmmaker Mohanad Hayal being guided by mentors; director Bui Thac Chuyen (Vietnam) and writer/director U-Wei Bin HajiSaari (Malaysia) and benefiting from intensive workshops including:
- Script Development Workshop with Jan Fleischer (Mediterranean Film Institute, Czech Republic)
- Cinematography Workshop with Australian DOP Peter James ACS
- Directing Workshop with multi-award winning director Bruce Beresford
- Script Doctoring Workshop with Indian specialist Meenakshi Shedde
- Documentary Workshop presented by Rob Rombout in Brussels in the framework of the prestigious DOCNOMAD’s program
- Ben Gibson’s 3-day Turnaround workshop on development, financing, production and delivery
- Producing 1 on 1 Workshop with Lord David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Mission)
APSL culminates with a pitch to a panel of industry professionals including members of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, International Jury and Academy, and the Asia Pacific Screen Lab Directorate, during the networking activities associated with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane in November.
APSL intake 1 is nearing completion with the selected projects from Indian filmmaker Balaka Ghosh and Fijian filmmaker Vilsoni Hereniko being guided by mentors, writer/director U-Wei Bin HajiSaari (Malaysia) and producer Josabeth Alonso (Philippines).
The submission deadline for the third round of the APSL program – 2017 APSL – is 30 September 2016, 6pm (GMT+10). The selected projects will be announced during the Busan International Film Festival in October 2016. Project mentors will be announced in November 2016 during the Asia Pacific Screen Awards four-day international program in Brisbane, Australia the permanent home of the APSAs.
Representatives of the selected projects will be invited to attend the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Award Ceremony, and meet with their mentors, drawn from the Asia Pacific Screen Academy.
Submission requirements and regulations can be found at www.griffith.edu.au/filmschool.