The concept of script labs and film pitching isn't a familiar one in Thailand. But it's an important step in the increasingly complex and competitive film industry -- here and throughout Southeast Asia.
The Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab, or SEAFIC, concluded its second edition in Bangkok last week. Five projects from filmmakers in the region (two from Singapore and one each from Laos, Indonesia and Thailand) took part in a script workshop where respected mentors read, gave comments and guided attendees through their thinking processes. At the end, the filmmakers from the five projects went on stage and gave a live pitch in front of a jury who assessed them according to the strength of their scripts and the potential for their projects to be realised.
At the event, held at Alliance Francaise, the two major awards went to Singaporean projects: Ajoomma, by director He Shuming and producer Tan Si En, won the SEAFIC prize and US$15,000 (500,000 baht) cash; and Ah Girl, by Ang Geck Geck and producer Fan Borgia, won the Open SEA Fund Award, which gives the project rental credit for equipment and post-product facilities worth over $20,000 (662,000 baht).
Ajoomma, which will be shot next year, tells the story of a K-drama-obsessed Singaporean auntie who travels to Korea for the first time with her son but gets lost on the outskirts of Seoul. Meanwhile Ah Girl, also expected to shoot next year, is the story of a little girl who has to choose between living with her mother or her father. The Lao project Raising The Beast, by Xaisongkham Induangchanthy, won the SEAFIC-TFL Award, which gives the director the opportunity to attend TorinoFilmLab later this month in Turin, Italy. The film is the story of Hmong siblings and traditional music in their tribal community. Southeast Asia has many aspiring young filmmakers. SEAFIC positions itself as a pioneer in supporting regional talent to develop their ideas and encourage their filmmaking endeavours.
