Applications are now open for the third round of the Asia Pacific Screen Lab (APSL), a development lab aimed at screenwriters, directors and producers from the Asia Pacific region.
The APSL focuses on stories exploring an Asia Pacific identity to be developed into feature length films of fiction, documentary or animation.
The submission deadline is September 30, with the selected projects to be announced for the first time during the Busan International Film Festival in October 2016.
The year-long development incubator program for emerging filmmakers is an initiative of Griffith Film School (GFS), the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema), in collaboration with the Sun Foundation and Temenggong Artists in Residence, Singapore.
At its core the APSL is a vehicle for enabling film co-productions by early career feature filmmakers from across the Asia Pacific, typically those who have made at least one feature film within the frame of their particular national cinema and are now ready for a larger framework.
A key strategy in this development is to take advantage of the Asia Pacific screen professionals that gather each year in Brisbane for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), which in 2016 celebrates its 10th edition.
The third intake of the APSL will see the filmmakers of the successful projects participate in intensive development workshops with acclaimed and prestigious practitioners.
The second APSL program is currently underway with the selected projects from Australian documentary filmmaker Jakeb Anhvu and Iraqi filmmaker Mohanad Hayal being guided by mentors. Workshops include:
· Script Development Workshop with Jan Fleischer (Mediterranean Film Institute)
· Cinematography Workshop with Australian DOP Peter James ACS
· Directing Workshop with multi-award winning director Bruce Beresford
· Script Doctoring Workshop with Indian specialist Meenakshi Shedde
· Documentary Workshop presented by Rob Rombout in Brussels in the framework of the prestigious DOCNOMAD’s program
· Ben Gibson’s 3-day workshop on development, financing, production and delivery
· Producing 1 on 1 Workshop with Lord David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Mission)
APSL culminates with a pitch to a panel of industry professionals including members of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, International Jury and Academy, and the Asia Pacific Screen Lab Directorate, during the networking activities associated with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane in November.
APSL's first intake is nearing completion with the selected projects from Indian filmmaker Balaka Ghosh and Fijian filmmaker Vilsoni Hereniko being guided by mentors, writer/director U-Wei Bin HajiSaari (Malaysia) and producer Josabeth Alonso (Philippines).
Project mentors for APSL 3 will be announced in November 2016 during the Asia Pacific Screen Awards' four-day international program in Brisbane.
Representatives of the selected projects will be invited to attend the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Award Ceremony, and meet with their mentors, drawn from the Asia Pacific Screen Academy.