Full Circle Lab Philippines, the Southeast Asian project and talent development programme, has revealed the line-up for its upcoming sixth edition, including a drama set against the backdrop of The Beatles infamous visit to Manila in 1966.
The labs will comprise eight projects in development, three films in post-production, eight emerging producers and three story editors. A total of 35 participants and 10 mentors are set to participate in the in-person workshop, held in the Central Luzon region in the north of Manila from March 19-24, followed by online sessions, which run until September.
Scroll down for full list of projects and participants
The films in development include Day Tripper, the feature directorial debut of Caloy Soliongco, which takes place in July 1966 when The Beatles visited the Philippines. According to the director, the story follows Butch, a big fan of the iconic British band, who works as a Manila Hotel valet and “finds himself getting more than he wished for when one of them sneaks out of the tour”.
It was an infamous tour date for the band, who declined a courtesy call to former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda Marcos, leading to hostility towards the group for the remainder of their stay. The feature is produced by award-winning Philippine filmmaker Dodo Dayao (Violator, Midnight In A Perfect World).
Further highlights include Sunshine by Filipina filmmaker Antoinette Jadaone, starring singer and actress Maris Racal as a gymnast. Now in post-production, it marks Jadaone’s first feature since Fan Girl, which went through the Full Circle Lab and went on to play Tokyo and Tallinn Black Nights in 2020.
Joining Sunshine in the First Cut Lab is Oma, an Indonesian documentary by Armin Septiexan about an 89-year-old woman who holds the truth to the disappearance of her father and brother, victims of mass killings in the country in 1965, and is determined to pass the story on to her grandchildren.
In addition, Rhizome is the latest project by Thai filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong, whose second feature Anatomy of Time premiered at Venice in 2021, and explores the complex relationship between two Lao women.
Also selected is Ananth Subramaniam’s debut The Passport, a musical that chronicles the life of a working-class Indian family from the perspective of their punk rock daughter in 1970’s Malaysia; and Dear Mother, the first time a Cambodian project has been chosen for the lab, which is described as an LGBTQ+ drama set in the world of Khmer classical ballet in Phnom Penh, directed by Phally Ngoeum.
Launched in 2019, the programme has become an established training ground to nurture and develop Filipino and South-East Asia projects for global potential and to position the Philippines as a film creative hub.
The programme is led by Tatino Films’ Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel alongside Floanne Taino of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Darras said: “The last couple of years have been exceptional for Full Circle Lab Philippines alumni projects,” highlighting Nelson Yeo’s Dreaming And Dying, which won best debut at Locarno; Komtouch Napattaloong’s Hours Of Ours, which premiered at last year’s Visions du Reel; and Patiparn Boontarig’s Solids By The Seashore, an award winner at Busan in October.
Further titles to have come through the labs include Sundance award-winner Leonor Will Never Die; the first Malaysian film to compete at Locarno, Stone Turtle; the first Vietnamese film to compete in Tokyo, Glorious Ashes; the first Singaporean-Korean co-production, Ajoomma; and Makbul Mubarak’s multi award-winning Indonesian feature Autobiography.
Upcoming features include Don’t Cry for Me Butterflies by Vietnam’s Duong Dieu Linh; Pierce by Singapore’s Nelicia Low; Subscribe by the Philippines’ Joan Jelica Lopez-Flores; and Wilderness by Malaysia’s Nadira Ilana.
Full Circle Lab Philippines 2024
FICTION LAB
Black Dogs In A Squared Circle (Phil)
Dir. Michael Vergara
Pro. Monster Jimenez
Day Tripper (Phil)
Dir. Caloy Soliongco
Pro. Dodo Dayao
Dear Mother (Cam)
Dir. Phally Ngoeum
Pro. Chandara So
Green Valley And The Amber Marbles (Viet)
Dir/Pro. Vu Nguyen Nam Khue
The Passport (Malay)
Dir. Ananth Subramaniam
Pro. Choo Mun Bel
Rhizome (Thai)
Dir. Jakrawal Nilthamrong
Pro. Chatchai Chaiyon
The Void Is Immense On Idle Hours (Phil)
Dir. Sam Manacsa
Pro. Chad Cabigon
The Want (Keinginan) (Sing)
Dir. Li Shuen Lam, Mark Chua
Pro. Bee Thiam Tan
FIRST CUT LAB
The Old Man & His Car (Sing)
Dir. Michael Kam
Pros. Angelina Marilyn Bok, Yeo Zhi Qi, Tang Kang Sheng
Oma (documentary) (Indo)
Dir. Armin Septiexan
Pros. Lodimeda Kini
Sunshine
Dir. Antoinette Jadaone (Phil)
Pros. Geo Lomuntad, Dan Villegas
STORY EDITORS LAB
- Emilio Sta. Maria (Phil)
- Micah Tadena (Phil)
CREATIVE PRODUCERS LAB
- Bernadette Chua, Project V Media Corp. (Phil)
- Demie Dangla (Phil)
- Dewangkoro Rinugroho, Cinenala Films (Indo)
- Sarah-Tabea Sammel, Biome Entertainment (Sing)
- Bagus Suitrawan, Purbanegara Films (Indo)
- KC Sulit (Phil)
- Ellen Xie, Art Code Story (Phil)
- Yeo Zhi Qi, Waking Life Pictures (Sing)
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