PANEL: SOUTHEAST ASIAN LABS FOR & BY SOUTHEAST ASIANS

JAN 9 14:00 BKK time (1hr 15min)

with Kuo Ming-Jung (Singapore International Film Festival), Sean Chadwell (Luang Prabang Film Festival), Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (Autumn Meeting) and Varadila (Docs by the Sea)

While many filmmakers aim to attend well-known academies in East Asia, Europe, and North America, there are also wonderful workshops right here within our region that have been created for and by Southeast Asians. Here, we speak with four prominent Southeast Asian labs - Autumn Meeting, Docs by the Sea, Luang Prabang Film Festival Talent Lab and Singapore International Film Festival Film Academy - to highlight why they started their missions, and how Southeast Asians can collaborate together going forward.

PANEL: FORGET ABOUT LABS, WHERE THE @#*! DO I FIND PRODUCERS?!

JAN 10 14:00 BKK time (1hr 15min)

with Tan Si En (producer, Singapore), Noorahaya Lahtee (producer, Thailand), Sein Lyan Tun (director, Myanmar) and Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (director, Laos)

One of the biggest hurdles for many young shorts filmmakers looking to develop their careers further is finding a producer. This is because many of the leading labs and workshops require a producer attached in order to apply. But where do filmmakers even find producers?! This has been one of the hardest early steps for budding filmmakers, and we explore this topic with two shorts filmmakers, Xaisongkham Induangchanthy (Laos) and Sein Lyan Tun (Myanmar) as well as the new generation of producers Noorahaya Lahtee (Thailand) and Tan Si En (Singapore).

PANEL: A TASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME

JAN 10 17:00 BKK time (1hr 15min)

with directors Pham Ngoc Lan (Vietnam), Sorayos Prapapan (Thailand), Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia) and Jow Zhi Wei (Singapore)

Four talented Southeast Asian filmmakers share a similar career trajectory. Their early short films went to major film festivals, and subsequently their paths led them to renowned workshops, script labs, project markets and international co-production. Now, all four are ready to begin shooting their first-ever features in 2021. In this panel, we speak with the four filmmakers about those early shorts that jumpstarted their careers, and how those led to this point as they all embark upon their biggest challenge yet.

PANEL: CONGRATS ON YOUR CO-PRODUCTION. NOW WHAT?

JAN 10 20:00 BKK time (1hr 15min)

with Carlo Francisco Manatad (director, Philippines), Kamila Andini (director, Indonesia), Davy Chou (producer, Cambodia), and Lai Weijie (producer, Singapore)

It takes years to develop, pitch, finance and finally shoot a film, especially co-productions. This panel has invited two directors (Carlo Francisco Manatad’s WHETHER THE WEATHER IS FINE & Kamila Andini’s YUNI) and two producers (Davy Chou’s WHITE BUILDING & Lai Weijie’s TASTE) who have all finished shooting their respective projects and are in the throes of post-production to talk about their in-the-moment feelings about co-production. What did they expect before embarking on co-productions, and what did they find out afterwards?

*IMPORTANT: SCHEDULE CHANGED

PANEL: IS THE ERA OF STUDIOS UPON US IN SOUTHEAST ASIA?

JAN 11 18:00 BKK time (1 hr 15min)*

With Winnie Lau (EVP, Head of Production, East and Southeast Asia for SK Global, USA) and Shanty Harmayn (Co-Founder, BASE Entertainment, Indonesia)

Major Asian and international film powerhouses such as Tencent and Showbox have recently started getting involved in Southeast Asia, while SK Global, CJ Entertainment, Netflix and others have already been making their presence felt here. How has their presence changed feature film production in the region, and what, if any, impact does this have on independent filmmakers? We talk to SK Global’s Winnie Lau and BASE Entertainment’s Shanty Harmayn about their recent pan-Southeast Asian hit IMPETIGORE by Joko Anwar and the rising impact of the region’s cinema.

MASTERCLASS: CANNES CRITICS’ WEEK & AIDE AUX CINEMAS DU MONDE’S CHARLES TESSON

JAN 11 19:30 BKK time (1hr)

Charles Tesson is the heads of both one of the most important international film funds as well as the Cannes section which debuted the first features by masters Wong Kar Wai, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ken Loach, Jacques Audiard and others. How does the process of selection work at both Cannes Critics’ Week and Aide aux Cinemas du Monde, and what does he personally look for in films and projects? And what does he think of Southeast Asian cinema nowadays?