The Asia Pacific Screen Academy has given a taste of the program for November’s Asia Pacific Screen Forum, while Netflix has moved to sponsor the event and the accompanying awards.
Registrations are now open for the forum, which will feature Palme d’Or and APSA Best Film winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul; APSA FIAPF Award-winning producer, Soros Sukhum; a conversation with Jeremy Chua; a Meet the Programmers session; and personalised networking opportunities.
Weerasethakul and Sukhum will be discussing their first collaboration – the 2021 Cannes Jury Prize winner Memoria, starring Tilda Swinton. Sukhum was previously honoured by FIAPF at APSA in 2020 for his contribution to Asia Pacific cinema.
Chua most recently produced Abdullaah Mohammad Saad’s Rehana Maryam Noor, the first Bangladeshi film to be selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, and is developing projects across the region. The film will have a special screening on the Gold Coast for local audiences, where global audiences can view earlier work from Chua, including K. Rajagopal’s A Yellow Bird, now available on Netflix.
Chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Academy Tracey Vieira said the APSA Forum would provide unprecedented access to some of Asia Pacific’s most innovative filmmakers.
“We are thrilled to present a conversation with Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua, who has an incredibly agile approach to financing,” she said.
“It is also exciting to be able to hear from acclaimed filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul and producer Soros Sukhum.”
Netflix has come on board as a major sponsor of the forum and accompanying Asia Pacific Screen Awards, joining Gold Coast City Council, Screen Queensland, Griffith Film School, and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), as well as founding partners UNESCO and FIAPF.
Debra Richards, Netflix director, APAC studio & production affairs, said it was timely for the streamer to partner with ASPA.
“APAC is such an exciting part of the world for Netflix, and we are incredibly proud of the growing slate of local language films and series we are making with amazing creators across Asia Pacific,” she said.
“As a region, it is also the fastest-growing in the world for Netflix memberships. So, it’s the ideal time for us to partner with ASPA to celebrate and inspire storytellers across APAC.”
The 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Forum will be held from November 11-16 on the Gold Coast, with the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards to be held on November 11.
Find out more information here.