Focus Asia, the genre-themed co-production market of Udine’s Far East Film Festival (FEFF), has unveiled its inaugural selection of 13 projects from 13 different countries.
The line-up includes Faozan Rizal Abracadabra, to be co-produced by Indonesia’s Ifa Isfansyah (pictured) and France’s Isabelle Glachant; Malaysian filmmaker Dain Iskandar Said’s Vektor; Brazilian filmmaker João Cândido Zacharias’s The Inheritance; and Singapore filmmaker Bee Thiam Tan’s Tiong Bahru Social Club, which will be a co-production between Singapore and Finland (see full list below).
The event, to be held in Udine, Italy from April 26-28 during FEFF, will bring together key industry figures from all over the world to participate in project meetings, market screenings and panel discussions.
The 13 projects were selected by a committee comprising experts from genre film festivals and funds such as Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Tallin’s Black Nights Film Festival, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival and Nordisk Film & Fond’s Nordic Genre Boost.
Companies confirmed to attend include XYZ, Media Asia, M-Line, Showbox, Wild Bunch, Reel Suspects, M-Appeal. Panel discussions include ‘Fixing A Broken Model: Global Distribution In The Digital Age’ held by XYZ’s Todd Brown and a case study of Mr Long, a Japan-Taiwan-Germany co-production that premiered at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
Focus Asia is organised by Far East Film Festival with the collaboration of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund, MIA – The International Audiovisual Market, Roma and Trieste Science+Fiction Film Festival.
FOCUS ASIA 2017 SELECTED PROJECTS:
30 Thousand Kicks – directed by Santiago Alvarado
Producer: Joaquim Vivas, Magno Entertainment (Spain)
Abracadabra – directed by Faozan Rizal
Producer: Ifa Isfansyah, Fourcolours Films (Indonesia) & Isabelle Glachant, Yisha Production (France)
Alone Like A Fool – directed by Yutaka Tsuchiya
Producer: Kazuhisa Matsumoto, D-Atelier Inc (Japan)
Femme Fatale – directed by Kyoko Miyake
Producer: Guillaume de Seille, Arizona Productions (France) & Freddy Olsson Bokomotive (Sweden)
Last Memory – directed by Wei-Hao Cheng
Producer: Cody Huang, Tape Writers (Taiwan)
Mr Zhang – directed by Patrizio Gioffredi
Producer: Antonio Tozzi, Yanez Films & Laura Catalano, 8 Production (Italy)
The Inheritance – directed by di João Cândido Zacharias
Producer: Tatiana Leite, Bubbles Project (Brasil)
The Long Walk – directed by Mattie Do
Producer: Douangmany Soliphanh, Lao Art Media (Laos) & Annick Mahnert, Screen Division (France)
The Watcher – produced by Giulia Achilli, Dugong SRL (Italy)
Tiong Bahru Social Club – directed by Bee Thiam Tan
Producer: Bee Thiam Tan & Wan Ping Looi, 13 Little Pictures (Singapore), Glenn Goei, Tiger Tiger Pictures (Singapore) & Antti Toivonen (Finland)
Trials Of Chul – directed by Danilo Bećković
Producer: Marko Paljić & Danilo Bećković, Gargantua Films (Serbia)
Vektor – directed by Dain Iskandar Said
Producer: Nandita Solomon, Apparat (Malaysia)
Vesper Seeds – directed by Kristina Buozyte & Bruno Samper
Producer: Kristina Buozyte, Natrix Natrix (Lithuania)