FULL CIRCLE LAB

PHILIPPINES 2024

Full Circle Lab Philippines is a capacity-building program aimed at supporting Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers. The 6th edition of the Lab takes place in the Philippines, from March 18 to 24, 2024, with the online follow up in September.
Full Circle Lab Philippines is co-organised by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Tatino Films.

AIMS

–> Identifying, nurturing and training creative talents in the Philippines and in South-East Asia;
–> Supporting Filipino & South-East Asian film projects along their development & post-production processes – in order to enhance their artistic and audience potentials with a focus on storytelling;
–> Fostering the internationalisation of the Filipino film industry, and positioning the Philippines as a creative hub in the South-East Asian region.
–> – Creating synergy between industry experts and professionals across the globe through sessions and talks.
Fan Girl by Antoinette Jadaone, Full Circle Lab Philippines, 2019
The Gospel of the Beast (Philippines) director Sheron Dayoc & producer Sonny Calvento , Full Circle LAb 2021 participant

MODULES

The Lab is composed of four modules:

  • Fiction Lab
  • First Cut Lab
  • Creative Producers Lab
  • Story Editing Lab
FICTION LAB
The lab welcomes eight projects at various stages of development with formats ranging from feature films, series, or animation. This is made possible with a reinforced mentorship: one script consultant & one production consultant per group of 4 projects.
The Story Editing Lab’s goal is to train film professionals capable of accompanying authors and directors during the whole creative process, primarily at the script development stage. Together with the Creative Producers Lab initiated in 2021, this addition reinforces the priority of Full Circle Lab Philippines to focus on skills training and building a sustainable audio-visual ecosystem.
The Creative Producers Lab is an essential tool to develop the whole ecosystem of the Filipino and South East Asia film industry. The Creative Producer Lab trains up to 8 junior producers in the key areas of this profession: project development, legal & financial issues, and company development, to enhance the production value of the films.
First Cut Lab
The First Cut Lab is open to 3 feature films at the editing stage and helps creative teams to reach the film they envision, fostering their artistic and circulation potentials. Participants receive expert advice from editor consultants and industry advisors chosen according to the specific needs of each film.

CALENDAR

October 8, 2023: Launch of the call for submissions @ Busan

November 24, 2023: Deadline for submissions Fiction, Creative Producers, Story Editing Labs

December 8, 2023: Deadline of Call for Applications (Documentary requirements) First Cut Lab

February 1, 2024: Deadline for Submissions of film cuts First Cut Lab

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

CALL FOR PROJECTS – GUIDELINES

How to apply

Full Circle Lab Philippines is open to filmmakers from Philippines and South-East Asia countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East-Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Applications for Fiction Lab, Creative Producers Lab, and Story Editing Lab must be submitted by November 24, 2023. Meanwhile, applications for First Cut Lab must be submitted on December 8, 2023, while the film cut may be submitted until February 15, 2024.

Applications and requirements must be sent to projectlab@fdcp.ph with the subject:

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2023 [(Lab Category) Application]
ex. Full Circle Lab Philippines 2023 [Fiction lab Application]

Selection

The submission materials of all eligible applicants will be reviewed by the FDCP Selection Committee and will be shortlisted.

The FDCP Selection Committee and Full Circle Lab mentors shall confer to select the final selection, ensuring the diversity of the lineup.

Selected participants will be announced by February 14, 2024 on FCL PH’s social media pages.

Fiction Labs

Open for projects in the early stage of development to pre-production stage in any of the following formats: feature films, series, or animation.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • Duly accomplished application form
  • Dossier of the project including:
    • Logline
    • Short Synopsis
    • Sequence Treatment
    • Director’s and producer’s intention notes
    • Production budget and financial plan
  • Director’s and producer’s letter of intent
  • Director’s, producer’s and screenwriter’s filmographies
  • Production company profile and filmography
  • Rights to Adaptation (if applicable)
  • High-definition profile photos (.jpg format)

All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

Note:

  • Projects shall have a director, writer, and producer attached.
  • Projects shall have financing or at least a projected financing in place
  • The director and producer shall attend all the sessions of the lab.
  • The lab is open for projects that have not yet entered the pre-production stage.

For submissions and inquiries, drop a message to projectlab@fdcp.ph

Creative Producers Lab

Open to producers who will have the chance to be mentored on topics covering the different key areas of this profession—project development, legal & financial issues, and company development.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • Duly accomplished application form
  • Letter of intent
  • Filmography
  • Production company profile and filmography
  • Project dossier (if available)
  • High definition profile photo (.jpg format)

All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

Note:

Producers with or without current affiliation with production companies are equally welcome to apply.

For submissions and inquiries, drop a message to projectlab@fdcp.ph

First Cut Lab

Available for projects in the editing stage. Participants will receive expert advice from editor-consultants and industry advisors chosen according to the specific needs of each film.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • Duly accomplished application form
  • A minimum of 30 minutes of scenes from the film with
  • English subtitles. Scenes can be separate and can be in the
  • rough cut.
  • Dossier of the project including:
  • Logline
  • Short synopsis
  • Director’s and producer’s intention notes
  • Director’s and producer’s letter of intent
  • Director’s, producer’s, and editor’s filmographies
  • Producer’s filmography and production company profile
  • High definition profile photo (.jpg format)

All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

Note:

The film’s producer, director, and editor must attend the whole duration of the Editing Lab.

For submissions and inquiries, drop a message to projectlab@fdcp.ph

Story Editing Lab

Open to aspiring script consultants, scriptwriters, heads of development in production companies, or commissioning editors of broadcasters, who will work hand-in-hand with the Fiction Lab groups. Each participant will work primarily with the script and production mentors of his group, but he/she will also receive expert advice and lectures from mentors from the other groups.

Applicants must submit the following:

  • Duly accomplished application form
  • Letter of intent
  • Filmography
  • Production company profile and filmography
  • High definition profile photo (.jpg format)

All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

For submissions and inquiries, drop a message to projectlab@fdcp.ph

Qualifications

  • Must be from a Southeast Asian Country: Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, East-Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
  • Must submit the application form and all supplementary requirements.
  • Must be fully vaccinated and willing to travel to the Philippines.
  • Must be willing to comply with necessary COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Solid by the Seashore, Dir. Patiparn Boontarig, prods. Mai Meksawan, Chatchai Chaiyon

MENTORS

Full Circle Lab Philippines is led by Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel on behalf of Tatino Films.
1st row from left:
Ally Pilar (FDCP), Britta Krause (Germany), Izabela Igel (Poland), Matthieu Darras (France), Mmabatho Kau (South Africa), Patric Mao Huang (Taiwan), Armi Rae Cacanindin (Philippines)
2nd row from left:
Naomi Levari (Israel/Germany), Tan Si En (Singapore), Juraj Krasnohorsky

FICTION

Mmabatho Kau - Full Circoe Lab Philippines 2021

MMABATHO KAU

Script Consultant

In her 20-year strong creative journey, Mmabatho has worked as a producer, broadcaster (SABC, Kwese TV, TopTV), development executive as well as a script consultant. 

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Roles that have harnessed her love for story and helping writers find their voice as storytellers. Her catalogue of work, as a script consultant, ranges from novel adaptations to politically potent films brought to life through titles such Kalushi: The Solomon Mahlangu Story and the sequel to Happiness is a Four Letter Word – Happiness Ever After. Mmabatho’s creative flair has also been injected outside South Africa as a consultant on the award-winning Lesotho based film This is not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection (Venice Biennale College Cinema 2019, Visionary Award winner Sundance 2019).

In 2017 Mmabatho was invited to co-mentor in REALNESS, a Pan-African writing residency. Beyond Realness; she has mentored on the Canal+  Poland Series Lab (2021), The Philippines (Full Circle Lab 2019 and 2020), Maisha Producers Lab (Uganda 2019), Jumpstart PRODUIRE AU SUD (South Africa 2019 and 2020), For Film’s Sake- Attagirl Lab (Australia 2020), The Pro Series Lab (Kenya 2020), BoostNL (Netherlands Film Festival/IFFR 2020), Dramatic Producer’s Lab (Ethiopia 2019). In addition to being a mentor, she has had the honour of being invited to participate in The Torino Script Lab (2018), EAVE (European Audio Visual Entrepreneurs 2020) and The Rotterdam Producer’s Lab (2020).

MEISKE TAURISIA

Producer

She entered film industry in 2004, and co-founded babibutafilm in 2007. She produced Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly (2008, Rotterdam-Fipresci Award), Postcards from the Zoo (2012, Berlinale), The Fox Exploits the Tiger’s Might (2015, Cannes), to name a few. 

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In 2016 she co-founded Palari Films and produced Posesif (2017, SGIFF), Aruna & Her Palate (2018, Culinary Cinema, Berlinale). Both films won awards at Festival Film Indonesia such as Best Director, Best Actor & Actress, Best Scenario Adaptation & Best Supporting Actor.
Aside from producing film, in 2013 she founded Yayasan Cipta Citra Indonesia, a foundation that focuses on supporting the independent film scenes in Indonesia in various formats. Kolektif, a distribution program for independent films; Kinosaurus, a micro cinema; LOCK, a film lab for young and rising filmmakers, and several other programs.
Patrick Mao Huang Pimpaka TOWIRA Advisor Full Circle Lab Philippines 2021
Mmabatho Kau - Full Circoe Lab Philippines 2021

HELEN
BELTRAME-LINNÉ

Script Consultant

Helen Beltrame-Linné is a Brazilian screenwriter and script consultant with a wide artistic and corporate background. Helen graduated from Brazil’s most prestigious Law School and worked as a corporate lawyer…

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Lately factual credits include the feature-length debut Sole by Carlo Sironi an italian- polish coproduction handled by Luxbox. He is a member of Eave, Eurodoc, Producers’s Network and Berlinale Talents. He shares his expertise teaching production at IED in Rome and tutoring project in development workshop such Full Circle Lab.

ARMI RAE CACANINDIN

Producer Consultant

Armi Rae Cacanindin is one of the emerging producers in the Philippines who has bee gaining a lot of exposure in the international scene. She participated in Busan’s Asian Film Academy in 2008, Berlinale Talents 2014 and Talents Tokyo 2014. 

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She has also participated in the La Fabrique des Cinema du Monde 2016 and TorinoFilmLab 2017, as well as Pull Circle Lab for the project “Whether the Weather is Fine” with director Carlo Francisco Manatad, that premiered in Locarno Film Festival in 2021.

 

She has worked for films that premiered at Cannes, Berlin, Busan, Locarno, Tribeca, Toronto, among others. The first film that she produced, “How To Disappear Completely” by Raya Martin, premiered at the Festival del Film Locarno in 2013.

STORY EDITING

Mmabatho Kau - Full Circoe Lab Philippines 2021

MMABATHO KAU

Script Consultant

In her 20-year strong creative journey, Mmabatho has worked as a producer, broadcaster (SABC, Kwese TV, TopTV), development executive as well as a script consultant. 

read more
Roles that have harnessed her love for story and helping writers find their voice as storytellers. Her catalogue of work, as a script consultant, ranges from novel adaptations to politically potent films brought to life through titles such Kalushi: The Solomon Mahlangu Story and the sequel to Happiness is a Four Letter Word – Happiness Ever After. Mmabatho’s creative flair has also been injected outside South Africa as a consultant on the award-winning Lesotho based film This is not a Burial, it’s a Resurrection (Venice Biennale College Cinema 2019, Visionary Award winner Sundance 2019).

In 2017 Mmabatho was invited to co-mentor in REALNESS, a Pan-African writing residency. Beyond Realness; she has mentored on the Canal+  Poland Series Lab (2021), The Philippines (Full Circle Lab 2019 and 2020), Maisha Producers Lab (Uganda 2019), Jumpstart PRODUIRE AU SUD (South Africa 2019 and 2020), For Film’s Sake- Attagirl Lab (Australia 2020), The Pro Series Lab (Kenya 2020), BoostNL (Netherlands Film Festival/IFFR 2020), Dramatic Producer’s Lab (Ethiopia 2019). In addition to being a mentor, she has had the honour of being invited to participate in The Torino Script Lab (2018), EAVE (European Audio Visual Entrepreneurs 2020) and The Rotterdam Producer’s Lab (2020).

HELEN
BELTRAME-LINNÉ

Script Consultant

Helen Beltrame-Linné is a Brazilian screenwriter and script consultant with a wide artistic and corporate background. Helen graduated from Brazil’s most prestigious Law School and worked as a corporate lawyer…

read more

Lately factual credits include the feature-length debut Sole by Carlo Sironi an italian- polish coproduction handled by Luxbox. He is a member of Eave, Eurodoc, Producers’s Network and Berlinale Talents. He shares his expertise teaching production at IED in Rome and tutoring project in development workshop such Full Circle Lab.

Mmabatho Kau - Full Circoe Lab Philippines 2021

CREATIVE PRODUCERS

JURAJ KRASNOHORSKY 

Producer 

Juraj Krasnohorsky is a film producer based in Bratislava. He lived for 14 years in Geneva, Bilbao and Paris where he studied physics, mathematics, and film. In 2010 he founded Artichoke and released his debut feature film as director Tigers in the City (2012).

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He shifted towards producing films and in 2016 his co-produced animated short film Superbia (2016) by Luca Tóth competed at Semaine de la Critique in Cannes. As a creative producer he currently works on several animated, feature length and documentary films, such as the Eurimages supported 2D/3D animated feature film for adults White Plastic Sky (in production) by Tibor Bánóczki & Sarolta Szabó and animated stop-motion feature film for children Of Unwanted Things and People (in production), winner of the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at Cartoon Movie 2019. Juraj is an EAVE alumni and head of studies of the CEE Animation Workshop.

 

SI EN TAN

Producer 

Si En Tan is a producer and co-founder of film and tv company – Momo Film Co. An alumnus of Berlinale Talents and Rotterdam Lab, Si En produced Wet Season by Anthony Chen. Wet Season made its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2019, Platform Competition.

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The film has been selected by the Singapore Film Commission as the nation’s Oscars 2021 representative and was lauded critically, receiving 12 awards internationally including the prestigious Golden Horse Awards. Her latest co production The Year Of The Everlasting Storm premiered in Cannes Film Festival 2021 and Arnold Is A Model Student by Sorayos Prapapan premiered in Locarno Film Festival 2022. 

Si En was the assistant producer of POP AYE by Kirsten Tan, which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2017 and the VPRO Big Screen Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam. She is also developing and co producing prominent award winning projects such as This City is a Battlefield by Mouly Surya, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking by Petersen Vargas, among others. 

Her passion in championing talents from the Singaporean and Southeast Asian film industry culminated in her work at the Singapore International Film Festival, where she took charge of the offscreen programmes and oversaw development and industry initiatives at the SGIFF Film Academy. Over the last few years, she also spearheaded the Objectifs Short Film Incubator and Momo Distribution Grant. 

Si En’s producing efforts have been featured in publications such as Screendaily, Variety, Channel News Asia and Yahoo. In 2020, she was recognised as one of The Straits Times 30 under 30 – The Arts. In 2021, she received the youth inspiration award given by National Youth Council and Scape. Most recently, she was nominated and shortlisted for The Women of the Future Awards, Southeast Asia 2022. 

 

FIRST CUT LAB

AGNIESZKA GLIŃSKA

Consultant Editor

Film editor and a member of the: Polish Association of Editors (PSM), Polish Film Academy (PAF), European Film Academy (EFA) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Since (AMPAS). She studied History and the Theory of Film at the University of Łódź and Film editing at Łódź Film School.

 

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In 2015 she was awarded ,,Best editing” for “11 Minutes” by Jerzy Skolimowski and “The Here After” by Magnus von Horn, and again in 2020 for “Sweat” by Magnus von Horn, at the FPFF in Gdynia.

In 2016 she received Polish „Eagles” for „Best editing” of “11 Minutes”, the highlight of her career. She has subsequently been nominated for the “Eagles” a further five times. In March 2023 she won “Eagles” for “EO” by Jerzy Skolimowski. In 2022 Islandic “Edda Awards” for “Best editing” of “Lamb” by Valdimar Jóhannsson. The movies she has edited have been awarded both in Poland and abroad. “EO” by Jerzy Skolimowski, won in 2022 in Cannes a PRIX du Jury Prize and in 2023 was nominated for the Oscars.
Other films edited: “All That I Love” by Jacek Borcuch, “11 Minutes” by Jerzy Skolimowski, “Difret” by Zeresenay Mehari and “EO” by Jerzy Skolimowski were candidates for the Oscars in the category of „Best Foreign Feature Film”. “Communion” by Anna Zamecka („Best European Documentary”) and “Lamb” by Valdimar Jóhannsson were both shortlisted.

SUZY GILLETT

Editorial Advisor

Londoner Suzy Gillett studied filmmaking at St Martin’s College of Art. She has been engaged with auteur cinema for over three decades as a programmer of film festivals: Mosaïques, Film Africa, Women’s Cinema from Tangiers to Tehran, Marrakech Biennale, and as a producer of international film labs: Low Budget Film Forum, Making Waves, iFeatures and Les Arcs Film School Village.

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She has collaborated as a consultant with French Film Festival Namur, Open City Doc Festival, Torino Film Lab, Lagos Lab and served in the jury of Ciné Maubit, Cap Spartel, Gabes Cinema Fen. She teaches Film curating at the Barbican, London and experimentation in documentary at ESAV Marrakech.
She is currently in development with Chéramy her first feature which has received funding from France: CNC, Région Nouvelle Acquitaine and Procirep-Angoa.

GABOR GREINER

Sales Agent – Films Boutique (Germany)

After his studies of Cultural Management in Vienna, Birmingham and Chicago, Gabor GREINER worked as a journalist and film critic. In 2003, he moved to Brussels to take charge of the distribution support department of the MEDIA Program at the European Commission’s Film Fund.

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In 2009, Gabor became acquisitions executive at the international sales agent, The Match Factory. In August 2010, Gabor moved to Berlin to become COO of the French-German sales company, Films Boutique, winner of the Golden Bear in 2017 and 2020 and the Golden Lion in 2011 and 2016. Gabor is a member of the European Film Academy.

PATRICK MAO HUANG

Producer

Born in Taiwan, Patrick Mao HUANG studied in American Film Institute – Directing Program and Columbia University Graduate Film School – Creative Producing Program. He founded production/distribution/sales company Flash Forward Entertainment in Taipei in 2002.

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Being praised for his diversity and distinguished eyes to spot new talents, Huang’s films span from narrative feature, documentaries, animation, short to drama series. All of them were selected by renowned film festivals worldwide and released globally. With great knowledge and experience for the international market, Huang always focuses on international co-production between east and west and has extensive skills on structuring film finance combining soft money and private funds. Huang’s latest film Moneyboys, an official selection of 2021 Cannes Un Certain Regard, is a co-production among Austria, France, Taiwan, and Belgium. Pierce, a Singapore/Taiwan/Poland co-production, is in pre-production to be shot entirely in Taiwan. Several co-productions with different partners from France, India, Bangladesh, Mainland China, and Czech Republic are in the advanced development stage and scheduled to go into production next year.

Huang is also a veteran film distributor, and often being a mentor or a guest speaker in filmmakers’ workshops or conferences such as Producers Network, Ties that Bind, CineMart, EFM Producers Hub, Produire au sud Taipei, Busan Asian Film School, When East Meets West, Sino-European Project Lab of Bridging the Dragon, FDCP Film Industry Conference and Project Market in Philippine, and TAICCA School run by Taiwan Creative Content Agency. Huang often serves as a jury or project selector for festivals, funding programs, screenplay competition and project markets such as Shanghai International Film Festival, Taipei Film Festival, YGIFF in Wuhan, Supporting Funds from BAMID of Taiwan Ministry of Culture, Taipei Film Commission, HAF, CNEX Chinese Doc Forum, TAICCA School x MPA Script to Screen Film Workshop and Pitching Session, and the Project Market at the One International Women’s Film Festival in Chengdu China. HUANG also works as a festival programmer occasionally.

Filmography as a Producer

2022 – Pierce (Singapore/Taiwan/Poland) – Pre-production; family drama

2022 – 96 Minutes, (Taiwan/China) – Pre-production; action thriller

2021 – In the Morning of Le Petit Morte, (Taiwan) – Pre-production; erotic drama

2021 – As River Goes By, (China), Pre-production; fantasy coming-of-age

2021 – Moneyboys, Cannes Un Certain Regard

2020 – Blessed Winter, (Austria/France/Taiwan/Belgium), China 86358 Short Film Festival – Best Film

2020 – Alikis, Osaka Asian Film Festival – Spotlight

2018 – A First Farewell, Berlinale Generation Kplus – Grand Prix of International Jury, Tokyo International Film Festival Asian Future – Best Film, Hong Kong International Film Festival – Firebird Best Chinese Film, Best Director, Hainan International Film Festival

2018 – Suburban Birds, New Directors New Films, FIRST International Film Festival – Best Narrative Feature, Locarno Film Festival – Filmmakers of the present Competition, Macao International Film Festival – NETPAC Award

2018 – An Impossibly Small Object, IFFR – Big Screen Competition, DC Chinese Film Festival – Best Narrative Feature, Rome Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival

2018 – Mama Pingpong Social Club, PiFan – Puchon Choice Competition, DC Chinese Film Festival – Best Narrative Short

2016 – The Road to Mandalay, Venice Film Festival – FEDEORA Award for Best Film

2014 – Ice Poison, Berlinale – Panorama, Taiwan entry for Oscars’ Best Foreign Language film

2013 – Amour et Patisserie, Film France – Producer of the Year Award, 3 Golden Bell Award nomination (Drama Series, Actress, Screenplay)

2011 – Return to Burma, IFFR – Tiger Competition

2009 – Baseball Boys, (Feature Documentary), Vision du Reel – Competition

2006 – Eternal Sunshine, BIFF – New Currents Competition

2005 – A Fish with a Smile, Berlinale Generation Kplus – Best Short Film Awards

2003 – My Wedding, 6 Golden Bell Award nomination (TV Film, Directing, Actress, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Cinematography)

Patrick Mao Huang Pimpaka TOWIRA Advisor Full Circle Lab Philippines 2021

PAOLO BERTOLIN

Film Writer, Producer & Festival Programmer – Venice Film Festival (Italy)

Paolo Bertolin is a member of the selection committee of the Venice International Film Festival.

He is also the artistic consultant of Locarno Open Doors.

. 

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He has worked for several other international festivals and institutions, including Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, IFF Rotterdam, the Doha Film Institute, Mumbai, Beijing and Torino film festivals.

As a producer, Bertolin has worked on films like:

2016 – A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery, by Lav Diaz
An epic eight-hour black-and-white drama, which was screened in competition at Berlin and won the Alfred Bauer Award.

2015 – Vietnam-made Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories, by Phan Dang Di’s
The film was also screened in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival.

PARTNER

Full Circle Lab Philippines in an initiative of Film Development Council of the Philippines and Tatino Films.

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