Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Singapore, s_tjokro@yahoo.com
Establishing a film festival worthy of note is no easy task in the already crowded global scene. But the Asian Festival of First Films (AFFF), which held its second edition from Nov. 30-Dec. 7 in Singapore, looks set to make its own mark in introducing first-time Asian filmmakers to the region -- and the world.
""Nine award-winning films showcased at AFFF 2005 were acclaimed world-wide and received awards at Berlin, Las Palmas, Montreal, Rotterdam and Sundance film festivals,"" said festival director Sanjoy Roy.
He added that many of the nominated films found distribution in their home countries, across the region as well as in Europe and North America.
""The festival stands out as the only kind because it celebrates first-time filmmakers. The event offers remarkable exposure for first-time filmmakers wanting a springboard into the elite international filmmakers' circuit,"" said Roy.
In the past year alone, many winning films at the inaugural AFFF have since won other international awards or been selected for competition in a variety of international film festivals.
Most notable among these is perhaps Filipino director Aureaus Solito's Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros).
Roy said Maximo Oliveros had shot to fame since winning AFFF's Best Film award in 2005.
The movie has been screened at over 30 international film festivals and is a favorite on the international festival circuit, including this year's Berlin and Rotterdam festivals, as well as Spain's Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Filmfest 2006.
It also made waves in the notoriously competitive U.S. scene, becoming this year the first Filipino film to be invited to Sundance. Maximo Oliveros has been released in the U.S. and is now the Philippines' foreign-language entry to the upcoming Oscars.
Meanwhile, distribution deals worth over US$5 million have been signed by AFFF nominates from 2005. This year's nominated features and documentaries had their premieres at public screenings in Golden Village cinemas and The Arts House during the week-long festival.
However, Roy admits that many people, including filmmakers, do not know about AFFF.
""It takes a few years to be known and this is our second festival, so AFFF is still a baby,"" says Roy. ""In some countries, we are very successful, in other countries we are not that successful, depending on how interested the press is in getting the information out.""
He added that since Maximo Oliveros won the top award at AFFF 2005 and due to the festival's exposure in the Philippine media, many films from that country were submitted this year.
""Every year, we target some countries and we invite journalists from those countries to get the information out. So next year, the filmmakers in your countries can send their films -- that's our strategy,"" said Roy.
This year, journalists from China, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia were invited to the festival, as AFFF hopes to encourage more submissions from those countries.
""This year we received between 10 and 15 entries from Indonesia and some of them are documentaries, not feature films. Last year, an Indonesian feature movie entitled Joni's Promise (Janji Joni) opened this festival; it was a lovely film. After AFFF, Joni's Promise got more recognition and distribution,"" he said, referring to the feature film by Joko Anwar.
In its inaugural year, the festival received over 230 submissions from 56 countries, and this year, more than 330 submissions from 60 countries. The notable rise is an indication of the AFFF's growing reputation as an influential platform for showcasing exceptional works by first-time Asian filmmakers.
Out of the 330 entries, the selection committee nominated 22 films and documentaries from across the world, including China, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the U.S.
After some research on the filmmakers, Roy said about 160 submissions were disqualified for one of two key reasons: the filmmakers had made movies previously or they were not of Asian descent.
This qualification is defined by the AFFF as being of Asian descent with at least one parent who is native to an Asian country, or the applicant must be a citizen of an Asian country.
Like many festivals, AFFF covers both feature films and documentaries.
""Some features are ineligible, because they are simply too short, say 60 or 65 minutes' running time,"" said Roy of this year's submissions. ""Features should have a minimum running time of 80 minutes. However, there is no time limitation for documentaries. They can be 3 seconds or 3 hours.""
Networking is an essential part of the year's work in preparing the AFFF -- assembling jurors, other participants and of course, th entries themselves.
""We sent out invitations to the whole world, including Canada, the U.S. and Finland... We also called for entries from Cannes, where we met a lot of people. This year, we also went to Shanghai and got the database from about 100,000 producers worldwide,"" said Roy.
The AFFF also has connections with regional industries: ""Officially, we are linked with the Indonesian Producers Association, Thai Association of Filmmakers and other associations alike... We also try to get the press involved, to get the information of this festival out.""
With the media's help, the AFFF expects to grow and garner more recognition worldwide -- developments that have already begun.
""We are very pleased with the growth of the AFFF since the first year. We see more entries and more young producers sending in their entries. The industry is definitely in need of such an initiative to consolidate the sporadic efforts of individual filmmakers and show the world what Asia is capable of.
""With increased support from the industry and sponsors, the AFFF will become the regional media event of the year,"" Roy said.
Even in its first year, the festival has succeeded in exposing new Asian filmmakers in their home countries and beyond, thereby helping their works get more recognition world-wide, and most importantly, find distribution.
As the festival organizers gear up to start preparations for its third edition, first-time directors, cinematographers, producers, writers, actors and documentarians of Asian descent can look closer to home to realize their celluloid dreams.
Visit www.asianfirstfilms.com for more information.
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