'The Passport' wins the Bucheon Choice Award in BIFAN

‘Passport’, ‘Please Bear With Me’ Win Prizes at BIFAN’s NAFF Project Market

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Ananth Subramaniam’s The Passport took the top award at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) Project Market at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), while Please Bear With Me from the Philippines’ Gabriela Serrano scooped three other prizes. 

The Passport was presented with the Bucheon Award, which comes with a cash prize of $11,500 (KRW15m).

The story revolves around a budding Indian rockstar in the 1970s, who is forced to endure cultural indignities while on a world tour, and returns home where she seeks the solace of an imaginary friend. Subramaniam is a Malaysian filmmaker and the Tamil-language project is being produced by Malaysian production houses Idio Sync Inc and Sixtymac Production.

Please Bear With Me picked up the Asian Discovery Award, which was shared with Japanese filmmaker Nakagawa Natsuki’s A Woman In Flames; the Mocha Chai Award for post-production support; and the Sitges FanPitch Award, which involves an invitation to Spain’s Sitges Film Festival. 

Set in a dystopian Philippines where people have lost the ability to dream, the story follows a call centre agent suffering from memory loss who gets paid in “dream-time” that she uses to relive her glory days as a pop star. The project is being produced by Gale Osorio and Keith Deligero of production outfit Archipelago.

See full list of NAFF Project Market award winners below.

BIFAN Industry Gathering ran June 30 to July 3, while the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival is taking place June 29 to July 9.

NETWORK OF ASIAN FANTASTIC FILMS 2023 WINNERS: 

Bucheon Award (KRW15m):
The Passport (Malaysia)
Dir: Ananth Subramaniam, Prod: Bel Choo Mun
 
Korean Discovery Award (KRW15m):
The Grotesque Train (Korea)
Dir: Tak Sewoong, Prod: Kwon Jiyong
 
Asian Discovery Award (shared):
A Woman In Flames (Japan)
Dir: Nakagawa Natsuki, Prod: Ogawa Shinji
 
Please Bear With Me (Philippines)
Dir: Gabriela Serrano, Prods: Gale Osorio, Keith Deligero
 
NAFF Award (shared):
Parasomnia (Indonesia)
Dir: Rafki Hidayat, Prod: Kevin Rahardjo
 
Planet (Norway)
Dir: Fredrik S. Hana, Prod: Julia Joner
 
NAFF Korean Award (KRW10m) (shared):
Idiot Girls And School Ghost: School Anniversary
Dir: Kim Minha, Prod: Park Sejoon
 
Show Me The Liver
Dir: Kim Jeongho, Prod: Son Seunghyeon
 
TAICCA Award ($10,000):
Sesame Has Its Soul (Korea, Vietnam)
Dir: Oscar Duong, Prod: Hang Trinh
 
DHL Award ($5,000):
Lake Of Stars (Cambodia)
Dir: Jake Wachtel, Prod: Visal Sok
 
VIPO Award (JPY500,000):
Maiden Home (Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia)
Dir: Sinn Kirin, Prods: Thim Kian Cheng, Saurav Ghimire, Gregoire Graesslin
 
Mocha Chai Award (Post-Production Support):
Please Bear With Me (Philippines)
Dir: Gabriela Serrano, Prods: Gale Osorio, Keith Deligero
 
Blood Window Award:
Planet (Norway)
Dir: Fredrik S. Hana, Prod: Julia Joner
 
Sitges FanPitch Award:
Please Bear With Me (Philippines)
Dir: Gabriela Serrano,  Prods. Gale Osorio, Keith Deligero