Creative Convergence

MANILA, Philippines — The recently-concluded Singapore Media Festival (SMF) – now on its fifth year – was abuzz with connections and collaborations being made across nations and across media platforms.

SMF, hosted by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Develoment Authority, acts as an umbrella event for four key events: the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore, SMF Ignite and the Asian Academy Creative Awards.

The SGIFF, now on its 29th year, showcases more than 100 films with a strong presence from Asia and Southeast Asia in its selections.

The ATF and ScreenSingapore is an industry event with a marketplace boasting of some 5,000 participants from film and television companies from across Asia. Also part of the ATF and ScreenSingapore are a summit for leaders in the industry, a pitch forum for new content ideas and a project market that connects filmmakers with producers, post-production studios, distributors and more.

SMF chairman Robert Gilby (front) with key representatives of the festival (from left) Asian Academy Creative Awards president Michael McKay, Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association chairman Chan Gin Kai, ATF and ScreenSingapore group project director Yeow Hui Leng, SGIFF chairman Sebastian Tan and Infocomm Media Development Authority chief development officer Howie Lau.

SMF Ignite is the digital arm of the festival. This year, executives from Vidcon, iQiyi and Microsoft were in attendance, as well as digital media creators and influencers like Nuseir Yassin of the highly popular one-minute-a-day videos Nas Daily.

“We’re seeing a lot of creative convergence in the industry – filmmakers doing things for television, television and film approaching technology and digital platforms,” says SMF chairman Robert Gilby. He adds, the SMF aims to create an environment that brings creators from different platforms together.

With the theme “Celebrating Asian Storytelling,” Gilby says the festival strives to “showcase the amazing stories and talent from across the region. At our heart, celebrating Asian storytelling is the real key.”

SMF is likewise concerned with development through “master classes, showcases, discussions with opportunities to put people together. Anything you can do to help develop the industry, especially the emerging young talent.”

Gilby says, “Many folks outside of Asia don’t understand that we’re not really one market. We are a region of many individual markets, each of which has incredible history, culture, heritage, tradition and with that, has an incredible pool of stories to be told and talent to be nurtured.”

As the country of focus at the 5th Singapore Media Festival, Philippine participation was in full force, led by FDCP chair and CEO Liza Diño-Seguerra.

Giving recognition is also an important part of SMF. “Awards shows are a way of recognizing emerging talent, people who have done exceptionally well in the year. That’s really key to the creative industries. To encourage people to push even further, we have to recognize all the great work that’s already been done,” says Gilby.

This year, the SMF introduced the 1st Asian Academy Creative Awards. According to Gilby, they made an effort to reflect the vast Asian market by awarding national winners. For the Philippines, the national winners included Maja Salvador (Best Actress in a Leading Role for Wildflower); Miguel Tanfelix (Best Actor in a Leading Role – Kambal, Karibal); Michael V. (Best Comedy Performance – Pepito Manaloto); Kyline Alcantara (Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Kambal, Karibal); and Gabby Eigenmann (Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Contessa) – all of whom were present for the red carpet awards night alongside stars from all over Asia.

While they were unsuccessful in clinching the Asian trophy, they were recognized as national winners. It was Maalaala Mo Kaya that emerged as the country’s sole international winner with the trophy for Best Single Drama/Telemovie.

The awards were very competitive, with nominees only a fraction of a point from each other. “We want to continue to challenge ourselves to make the best in Asia so that Asia takes its place on the global stage more prominently,” says Gilby.

Local networks such as GMA and ABS-CBN took part in the Asian TV Forum and Market.

The Philippines got extra attention in this year’s SMF as the festival’s country of focus. The indefatigable chair and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Liza Diño-Seguerra, was excited to represent the country at the SMF and showcase Filipino content to the rest of Asia and the world.

“To be selected as the Singapore Media Festival’s country of focus this year is doubly special for us, as this distinct honor is bestowed just in time for our celebration of the 100 years of Philippine cinema,” she says. “Our local film industry has been through so much during these 100 years. It has evolved, it has adapted, it has been very resilient in the face of the challenges of current times. Significant breakthroughs have been made and a lot of our films have traveled in international film festivals and that’s how we started gaining traction to be a content provider and to really promote the Philippines as a market and promote our cinema.”

Together with Diño, the Philippine delegation made their presence felt at the festival with 32 companies taking part in the ATF, including ABS-CBN, Star Cinema, GMA, Viva Films; five projects in the Southeast Asian Film Financing Forum; two projects in Ties the Bind; two projects at the South East Asian Film Lab; and several industry leaders participating as speakers and mentors.

Diño says, “Now it is time to build up and strategize, to go regional and international with our content, most especially when our stories are universal in nature and theme, and what better way to do this than here at the Asia TV Forum and Market and the Singapore Media Festival.”

On the ATF, Diño adds that she is particularly pleased that even the big networks have taken interest in the festival. This is a sign, she says, that the established networks are realizing that they can tell stories that are for a much wider audience: “Pang Pilipino at pang buong mundo (For Filipinos and for the whole world).”

Diño is positive that this will help elevate the production value of Filipino content, to complement the already commendable Filipino storytelling.

“I’m a big fan of the Philippines,” says Gilby. “It’s probably the nation that captures heart better than anywhere else I know. Filipino talent and Filipinos in general tend to laugh, sing and just entertain themselves through some of the hardest lives you can imagine.”

He notes especially overseas Filipino families: “You can see how they use their spirit of storytelling to connect. I think it’s very moving.”

In a festival celebrating Asian storytelling, the country shines through stories told with the spirit and heart of the Filipino.