Undiscovered talents wanted at film fest

BUDDING filmmakers will have the chance to fast-track their movie dreams with the Southeast Asian Film Lab, a seven-day writing workshop that will be held in conjunction with the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) later this year.

The event is targeted at emerging writers and directors aged 18-35 from the region with a focus on capturing the stories behind the participants' collective experiences of South-east Asia past, present and future. Submissions are open till mid-September; thereafter 10 participants will be short-listed to take part in the film lab.

It's the first time something of this scale is being held within the festival - which is celebrating its 25th anniversary - and participants will learn the art of developing their own feature screenplays through a series of master classes and screenings with seasoned practitioners from the region. In addition, they will also be individually mentored by award-winning Singapore-based producer Fran Borgia (Sandcastle, Mister John) and Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui (Love Conquers All, The Year Without A Summer), before getting a chance to make a pitch to an industry panel at the end of the Film Lab.