2016 Talent Lab

Program Overview

In an exciting new collaboration, the Tribeca Film Institute® (TFI) will be leading a full-day Talent Lab for Southeast Asian filmmakers on grant writing and project pitching at the 7th Luang Prabang Film Festival. After sessions of instruction, practice, and a pitch forum with feedback given by various industry professionals, one project showing great promise will be selected by TFI to attend the TFI Network market, which will take place in New York City at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival®. There, TFI will arrange meetings for the filmmaker with editors, distributors, and financiers. TFI will then mentor him or her through the completion of the project.

2016 Talent Lab Projects

The 10 selected projects, which are in various stages of production, come from seven countries from the ASEAN region: Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The participating projects include

Beastmode, represented by assistant director/producer Vanessa Amante and writer Mixkaela Villalon (Philippines)
Blessed Reunion, represented by director/screenwriter Lee Thean-jeen (Malaysia)
Devoted, represented by writer/producer Damon Chua (Malaysia)
The Doctor, represented by producer/director Naruemon Chaingam (Thailand)
The First Drop of Rain in the Month of May, represented by producer Sheron Dayoc (Philippines)
On the Other Side, represented by writer/director Anysay Keola (Laos)
Return of the Owl, represented by director/writer Martika Ramirez Escobar (Philippines)
The Ring Road, represented by director/producer Tran Phuong Thao (Vietnam)
The Science of Fictions, represented by director/scriptwriter Yosep Anggi Noen and producer Yulia Evina Bhara (Indonesia)
White Building, represented by director/writer/producer Kavich Neang (Cambodia)

Activities During the Talent Lab on 3 December 2016

1. Learning How to Pitch

Filmmakers complete an exercise to talk about their projects and begin to hone their pitches in a clear and engaging way. The session will be a practical, back-to-basics approach to clarify what the filmmakers’stories are about, and what they are looking to convey to help to keep their pitch focused.

2. Practicing the Pitch

Filmmakers volunteer to present their pitches to the group, and TFI will provide feedback on pitches and improvised meetings. TFI will help review questionnaires for the projects and comment if the pitch accomplished the story they are trying to tell. Other projects can weigh in for peer-to-peer review.

3. Group Lunch and Informal Meetings

TFI and other invited industry meet with filmmakers in an informal round-table setting, providing more opportunity to discuss the projects and pitches.

4. Public Discussion: Funding/Grants Info Session

TFI leads a short session on funds available to filmmakers, with dates and the processes to apply. TFI will speak to the “do’s and don’ts” on writing a grant application and tips on taking a funding meeting. TFI will present examples of successful applications, and give advice on improvements, with a Q&A discussion included.

5. Pitch Forum

Each project will pitch in front of the group, improving upon the comments from the morning session. Working alongside various industry professionals, TFI will form a feedback panel to provide detailed notes on each pitch. The panel will choose one project to join the TFI Network market at the Tribeca Film Festival 2017.