Malaysia’ National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) is joining forces with three other Asian government bodies on the Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab) at this year’s Busan International Film Festival.
FINAS will be working with the Singapore Film Commission (SFC), Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) on the lab, which has selected eight projects.
The lab is an incubator programme for scriptwriters, directors and producers to work on developing film projects under the guidance of international mentors. Selected projects must be at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, and aiming for a regional or international audience.
The partnership with SFC and FDCP enables a film project in development from each country to participate in the third session of mylab – Unmother from Singapore’s Jen Nee Lim and Mother Maybe from the Philippines’ Sonny Calvento (see full list of selected projects below).
Two awards will be handed out to winning projects at the lab:
FINAS mylab Award: worth $5,000 towards further development of the project, decided by an independent jury comprising Christian Jeune (Cannes Film Festival), Nashen Moodley (Sydney Film Festival) and Oh Jung-wan (BOM) during the final session in Busan.
TAICCA Development Award: worth $5,000 towards development and invitation of the project participants to attend Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) to pitch the project in Taiwan in 2023.
FINAS CEO Prof. Dr. Md Nasir Ibrahim described mylab as Malaysia’s first ever initiative to incubate projects that will be ready for international co-productions: “Whilst it is the first, with programme curator Lorna Tee, mylab manages to attract collaborations from numerous countries in the region.
“This is considered monumental for FINAS to be able to work together with the various film organisations, not to mention the wide array of mentors, group leaders, script doctors, jurors and directing mentors from across the world with stellar profiles.”
The lab has been conducted through two online sessions (June 2022 and August 2022) followed by a physical one-on-one session with selected mentors and lecturers in Busan. The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) will also support mylab with a reception in Busan and connect mylab participants with the Korean film industry.
MYLAB 2022 SELECTED PROJECTS:
Absolute (Mutlak) (Malaysia)
Dirs: Effendee Mazlan, Fariza Azlina Isahak
Writer: Fariza Azlina Isahak
Producer: Effendee Mazlan
Life I Stole (Hidup Aku Curi) (Malaysia)
Dir/writer: Putri Purnama Sugua
Producer: Tan Cher Kian
The Depth Of Darkness (Kaali) (Malaysia)
Dir/writer: Gogularaajan Rajendran
Producer: Kumanavannan Rajendran
Maybe Today, If Not Today, Maybe Tomorrow (Malaysia)
Dir/writer: Lim Han Loong
Producer: Chua Jing Xuan
Very Very Important Funeral (Malaysia)
Dir/writer: Lim Kean Hian
Producer: Omar Yunus
Under Foreign Skies (Malaysia)
Dir/writer: Anwar Johari Ho
Producer: Eleanor Teh
Mother Maybe (Inahing Baka) (Philippines)
Dir. Sonny Calvento
Writers: Arden Rod Condez, Sonny Calvento
Producer: Sheron Dayoc
Unmother (Singapore)
Dir/writer: Jen Nee Lim
Producer: Ke Ning Lee