Tiptoeing Towards Regional Coproductions, Asian Governments Take Funding, Reform Steps

Governments and agencies across Asia are taking steps to expand and extend the cross-border film coproduction movement.

A seminar called ‘From Eurasia to Global Collaboration’ on Thursday, the third day of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, represented a handy recap of funding and structural developments from four countries: The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.

Alex Sihar, from Indonesia’s directorate of culture, part of the ministry of education, described an ongoing process intended to put the industry on a more professional footing.

Related Stories

VIP+

Sports Is Traditional TV’s Hail Mary, Despite Pressure From Streaming

Kamala Harris Mocks Donald Trump on 'SNL' Appearance, Urges Americans to 'Keep Kamala and Carry On-A-La'

“While we have a long history of filmmaking and a very diverse culture, our films until recently have had very little international exposure, there has been little knowledge transfer and no incentives for location shooting or co-production.”

Film policy was previously stretched across multiple ministries, but is now to be overseen by a film department under the education ministry, which is newly separated from educational matters.
Co-productions are to be further encouraged and the country’s matching fund (which doubles up on funding available from the likes of the World Cinema Fund, TAICCA and Purin Pictures) is likely to be expanded. Indonesia is also a founder member of the Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN, alongside Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, The Philippines, South Korea and Malaysia).

Marylo Christine H. Celis, project officer at the Film Development Council of the Philippines, was on hand to explain the ICOF Fund, the Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX), which facilitates permitting, locations and tax advice, and to tout a 20% rebate, plus 5% cultural bonus scheme. Lav Diaz’s “When The Waves Are Gone” and Carlo Francisco Manatad’s “Whether the Weather is Fine” are examples of the agency’s 2021 funding round.

Azmir Saifuddin Mutalib, installed a year ago as CEO of Malaysia’s FINAS, promised that “a new model of film financing” would be unveiled in early 2025, with gap financing and matching funds likely to be part of an effort to involve more private sector investment.

The current system, which counts a generous 30% rebate scheme (FIMI) as its centerpiece, has helped to make the Malaysian film industry “adaptable and borderless,” he said. FIMI together with quality studio infrastructure and international standard IP protection laws, have helped Malaysia attract film and TV productions including “Lost in the Pacific,” Crazy Rich Asians,” two seasons of “The Mandalorian,” “Magiswords” and “The Ghost Bride.” A new virtual production studio in Kuala Lumpur and Astro’s Sound and Vision facilities mean more infrastructure is coming on stream.

Faruk Guven, of public broadcaster Turkish Radio Television, and Esra Demirkiran of its TRT Sinema unit, put on a neat double act. They explained the Turkish ministry of culture’s efforts, TRT’s highly active co-production program and the 12 Punto system. This covers script, pitching and production consultancy, panels and masterclasses that all build towards an annual event in July with prizes for co-productions, pre-buys, project development, short film production.

Demirkiran explained that while project selections are made by members of the Turkish industry, the awards are made by a high-level international jury that in previous years has involved luminaries including Rithy Panh, Pawel Pawlikowski, Elia Suleiman, John Bailey and Philippe Bober.