Launch of the Call for Projects at Busan Film Festival

Following first thriving editions of Full Circle Lab Philippines, a project and talent development lab initiated in 2019, the program launches its 6^th edition in Busan this October 2023 and continues to encourage and nurture Southeast Asian films and film professionals to global potential. Continuing its mission, Tatino Films in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) further fosters a wide range of projects at various stages, formats, and genres, welcoming both emerging and experienced talents from the Philippines and across the Southeast Asian region.

FULL CIRCLE LAB PHILIPPINES 2024 KEY FEATURES

Important Dates

• October 8, 2023: Launch of the call for submissions @ Busan
• November 24, 2023: Deadline for submissions
• February 15, 2024: Announcement of line-up of projects & participants @ Berlinale
• 18-24. March 2024: Onsite workshop in the Philippines
• April-September 2024: Online curriculum

The Full Circle Lab Philippines’ alumni network has already expanded to 200 film professionals and more than 70 film projects. With this, the program gains more traction in the Southeast Asian region. In its 6^th edition in 2024, through the various offerings of Full Circle Lab Philippines, film talents and projects will benefit from the following programs sustaining its previous initiatives:

• Fiction Lab for films in development: 8 projects
• First Cut Lab for films in post-production: 3 projects
• Creative Producers Lab: 8 participants
• Story Editing Lab: 3 participants

A priority for 2024 will be to continue enriching the pedagogical team with film talents from Asia, while mentors will keep coming from all over the world. Mentors and advisors of the 2023 edition included for example Armi Rae Cacanindin (Philippines), Patrick Mao Huang (Taiwan), Helen Beltrame-Linne (Brazil), Mmabatho Kau (South Africa), Yulia Evina Bhara (Indonesia), and Tan Si En (Singapore) to name a few. The definitive list of mentors will be announced shortly.

BUSAN FF HIGHLIGHTS & RECENT SUCCESSES

In recent years, Full Circle Lab Philippines’ alumni projects have had their premieres and screenings in various sections of the Busan International Film Festival. This year, the Busan wave continues its motion as 2 projects that just recently participated in Full Circle Lab Philippines in March 2023 take part in this year’s festival and market:

• SOLIDS BY THE SEA SHORE by Patiparn Boontarig (Producers: Chatchai Chaiyon, Mai Meksawan – Thailand)in the New Currents Competition

• DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA by Martika Ramirez Escobar (Producer: Monster Jimenez – (Philippines) selected for the Asian Project Market

The success of Full Circle Lab Philippines’ films do not end in Busan, as Gospel of the Beast by Sheron Dayoc (Producer: Sonny Calvento) from the Philippines will have its world premiere and will compete in the Tokyo International Film Festival this October. 

The success stories of the alumni projects and talents attest that Full Circle Lab Philippines has been making its mark not only within the Southeast Asian region, but on the global scene as well. Here’s a roundup of what has happened since the last edition last year:

• Dreaming & Dying, Nelson Yeo (Singapore) – Locarno FF 2023 (Golden Leopard for Concorso Cineasti del presente & Swatch First Feature Award)
• Hours of Ours, Komtouch Napattaloong (Thailand) – Visions du Réel 2023
• Where is The Lie?, Quark Henares (Philippines) – Slamdance 2023
• Elehiya, Loy Arcenas (Philippines) – QCinema FF 2022
• Divine Factory, Joseph Mangat (Philippines) – Dok Leipzig 2022

Notably, 2 Full Circle Lab PH films represent their countries for the 2024 Academy Awards:

• Autobiography, Makbul Mubarak (Indonesia) – Venice FF 2022
• Glorious Ashes, Chuyen Bui Thac (Vietnam) – Tokyo FF 2022.