Stone Turtle

Source: Kong Pahurak

‘Stone Turtle’

Full Circle Lab Philippines, the Southeast Asian project and talent development programme, has unveiled the line-up for its upcoming fourth edition, including new features by Malaysian director Woo Ming Jin and Singapore producer Anthony Chen.

The labs, led by Tatino Films’ Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel and co-organised by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), will comprise 12 projects in development, three films in post-production, eight emerging producers and three story editors.

More than 40 participants and 12 mentors from 15 different countries are expected to participate in the in-person workshop, held in the Philippines’ Cebu province from April 26-30. This will be followed by online sessions, which run until September.

Scroll down for full list of projects and participants

The objective is to identify, nurture and support creative projects from the Philippines and Southeast Asia, covering features and series in development and post-production.

Leading names among the titles include Malaysian filmmaker Woo, whose upcoming feature Turtle Stone has been selected for the First Cut Lab. Woo’s previous films include Monday Morning Glory, which screened at the Berlinale; Woman On Fire Looks For Water, which premiered at Venice; and The Tiger Factory, which was only the third Malaysian film to be selected for Cannes when it premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010.

Further leading creatives include Chen, director of Cannes Golden Camera winner Ilo Ilo, who is on board He Shuming’s feature directorial debut Ajoomma as producer.

Alongside these more established figures are several debut projects, from emerging filmmakers aged under 30.

Last year, a Creative Producers Lab was introduced to identify and nurture new generations of producers through training for rising talent. Six producers from the Philippines and two from Indonesia have been selected for the upcoming edition, who will receive training in project development, legal and financial issues, and company development.

This year will see the addition of a Story Editors Lab with the goal of training film professionals capable of accompanying authors and directors during the whole creative process, primarily at the script development stage. Three talents from the region have been selected from the Philippines and Singapore.

International mentors

An international cohort of mentors and advisors include scriptwriters and script consultants Helen Beltramé-Linné (Brazil/Sweden), Ayman El Amir (Egypt), Mmabatho Kau (South Africa), and producers Izabela Igel (Poland), Meiske Taurisia (Indonesia), and Olga Zhurzhenko (Ukraine), who will focus on fiction film projects.

Mentors for the Creative Producers lab comprise film producers Weijie Lai (Singapore/Canada) and Juraj Krasnohorsky (Slovakia), while international guest speakers will deliver creative talks and case studies. Editing consultant Benjamin Mirguet (France) is dedicated to the First Cut Lab projects with editorial consultant Wim Vanacker (Belgium).

They will be supported by industry advisors of which Singaporean producer Fran Borgia, Taiwanese producer/distributor Patrick Mao Huang, Singaporean distributor Vincent Quek and Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc are already confirmed.

More than 100 professionals and 48 film projects have moved through the lab to date, including Avid Liongoren’s Hayop Ka!, which was the first Filipino animated feature film selected in the official selection of Annecy Film Festival; and a series of feature debuts recognised by international festivals, including Martika Ramirez Escobar’s Leonor Will Never Die, which won a special jury prize when it premiered in competition at the virtual Sundance in January.

More recently, two projects that started their development at Full Circle Lab were selected for Cannes’ L’Atelier co-production forum: Sam by E. Del Mundo and The Beer Girl in Yangon by Sein Lyan Tun.

Organiser and Tatino Films CEO Darras said the labs would help usher in “a new wave of cinema” from the region. “Newcomers and experienced filmmakers, arthouse and more commercially-driven projects, are given the same level of attention and care from our mentors,” he added.

It was announced in December that the FDCP and French production and consulting firm Tatino Films would partner on a new three-year cycle of the lab from 2022 to 2024.

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2022

FICTION LAB

Between One Lucia and two Mariasdebut
Dir. Tyra Alvarade (Phil)

Dear Familydebut
Dir. Monica Vanesa Tedja, prod. Gugi Gumilang and Astrid Saerong (Indo)

First Breath After Coma
Dir. Jason Iskandar, prod. Florence Giovani Chandra (Indo)

Mando’s Better World
Dir. Joel Ruiz, prod. Monster Jimenez and Margie Templo (Phil)

Mother Maybe
Dir. Sonny Calvento, prod. Krizia Marie Millanes (Phil)

Pamilya Anakondadebut
Dir. James Albano, prod. Carmi Raymundo (Phil)

Posthousedebut
Dir. Nikolas Red, Iana Bernardez (Phil)

Tetherdebut
Dir. Gian Arre, prod. Anna Velario (Phil)

The Scam of Angelsseries
Dir. Arden Rod Condez, prod. Barbara Candano (Phil)

Unmotherdebut
Dir. Jen Nee Lim, prod. Ke Ning Lee (Sing)

Violet Flowerdebut
Dir. Jerome Zamora, prod. Wilfredo Manalang (Phil)

Wingboy
Dir. Writer Grace Ng, prod. Tan Jia Min (Sing)

FIRST CUT LAB

Ajoommadebut
Dir. He Shuming, prod. Anthony Chen, editor Armiliah Aripin (Sing)

Stone Turtle
Dir. Woo Ming Jin, prod. and editor Edmund Yeo (Malay)

Where is The Lie?
Dir. Quark Henares, prod. Armi Rae Cacanindin, editor Benjamin Tolentino (Phil)

STORY EDITORS LAB

  • Jericho Miguel Aguado / Southern Lantern Studios (Phil)
  • Paul Sta. Ana / Pelikulaw (Phil)
  • Dan Koh / Incantation Films (Sing)

CREATIVE PRODUCERS LAB

  • April Batican / Epicmedia Productions Inc. (Phil)
  • Sari Dalena / Kino Arts (Phil)
  • Keisha Therese Halili / Micromedia Digital Video Productions (Phil)
  • Mary Grace Liew / Foreground Pictures (Malay)
  • Racquel Medina / Southern Lantern Studios & Giya Studios (Phil)
  • Kyle Nieva / Screen Asia Corporation (Phil)
  • Giovanni Rahmadeva / Qun Films (Indo)
  • Howard Yambao / Eichef Media \ HFilms (Phil)
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