MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Full Circle Lab Philippines (FCL PH), a development program of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in partnership with Tatino Films, has revealed its full lineup of participants as it return to its first onsite event after two years of holding it through virtual platforms. To be held in Cebu, Philippines from April 26 to 30, the lab will be welcoming 15 projects and 11 talents along with the 11 international industry mentors from Tatino.
The fourth edition of FCL PH selected a total of 26 participants from the Philippines and Southeast Asia: twelve (12) projects in development for Fiction Lab, eight (8) emerging producers for the Creative Producers Lab, three (3) participants for the first edition of the Story Editing Lab, and three (3) feature-length films in the editing stage for First Cut Lab. The onsite residential workshop will be held in Cebu, Philippines on April 26 to 30, while the follow-up online sessions for Fiction and Creative Producers Lab will be in September 2022.
Under the Fiction and Story Editing labs, selected participants will undergo group sessions where they will be discussing each other’s works and exchange feedback on the four selected projects. Each participant will have a one-on-one session with the mentors to talk about the development and production of their projects. For the Creative Producers Lab, the eight participants and their mentors will delve more in the best practices and different aspects of producing. The three selected projects for First Cut Lab will have sessions with the editor advisors and a session with industry advisors to discuss the producing and distribution aspect of their films.
FDCP Chair and CEO Liza Diño shared her excitement on the return of onsite FCL PH labs and for the new slate of projects joining this year’s edition, “For two consecutive years, FCL PH was held online due to the ongoing global health crisis. We did not allow the pandemic to deter us from catering to the training and development needs of our filmmakers and answering to the demands of the ever-changing film industry. We continued to offer new labs and made more room for projects to develop through mentorship. This year, FCL PH moves back onsite and we are thrilled to welcome the participants with a diverse lineup of projects.”
“Since 2019, FCL PH has helped develop a total of 61 projects and talents from the Philippines and our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia—aligned with our goal in making the country a creative hub for filmmaking. The program does not only aim on developing world-class content but is also centered on nurturing promising talents from the region. As we move forward to another exciting edition, we hope that the participants’ journey with FCL PH will further aid them in discovering their distinct voice, elevate their skills, and open more opportunities for them in the future,” she added.
FCL PH Program Manager Ron Jiselle Lacerna expressed her anticipation for this year’s onsite labs, “The labs had to be held virtually for the past two years as a concession to the pandemic, but we at FCL PH used that time to plan and work towards making a bigger and better lab this year as we return as an in-person event. The return of onsite labs will give our filmmakers an opportunity to expand their networks and hear diverse perspectives from our international roster of participants and mentors. The whole team is excited to meet this batch of filmmakers for the edition. I believe this is one step closer to the goal of creating a synergy among the filmmakers and becoming Southeast Asia’s creative hub.”
FCL PH, co-led by FCL Heads Matthieu Darras and Izabela Igel, aims to identify, nurture, and support creative projects from the Philippines and Southeast Asia to become globally competitive through film labs.
Darras, FCL Head, also gave his warm welcome to the new batch of participants this year: “Entering now on its 4th edition, FCL PH has become a steady point of reference for the Philippine and Southeast Asian audiovisual industries. Professionals of the region can rely upon a safe space where they can develop or finalize their film projects, and where they can also enhance their storytelling and production skills. FCL PH aims to offer a stimulating international environment, where a diverse range of projects are welcome. Newcomers and experienced filmmakers, arthouse and more commercially-driven projects, are given the same level of attention and care by our mentors.”
“We at Tatino Films, are grateful for the FDCP’s leadership, whose vision has empowered our Lab to carve out such a creative hub in just a few years. We are now committed towards a long-term cooperation in order to reach sustainable results. On the short term, we are thrilled by the line-up of this edition of the Lab, characterized by a majority of debut film projects and most participants under 30 years old. We are looking forward to meeting all the talents onsite in Cebu, Philippines in April 2022. A new wave is looming,” Darras added.
Eleven industry professionals from all over the world will serve as mentors across the four labs in FCL PH. Script consultants Helen Beltrame, Mmbathou Kau, and Ayman El Amir will serve as mentors for Story Editing Lab and also for the Fiction Lab accompanying producers Izabela Igel, Meiske Taurisia, and Olga Zhurzhenko.
Completing the list of mentors are editor consultant Benjamin Mirguet and editorial advisor Wim Vanacker for First Cut Lab, and producers Weijie Lai and Juraj Krasnohorksy for the Creative Producers Lab.
Emerging filmmakers from the Philippines, directors Sonny Calvento and Arden Rod Condez, and producers Iana Bernardez and April Batacan will be rejoining this year’s FCL PH. The fourth edition of FCL PH introduces some improvements namely—the addition of a new lab, the Story Editing Lab; a bigger number of selected participants for the Fiction Lab (from eight to twelve), and the addition of the onsite residential workshop.
Full Circle Lab 2022 Selections
Fiction Lab – Philippines
Ang Kwento ni Maria, Maria, at Lucia (Between One Lucia and Two Marias)
Director: Tyra Alvarade
Inahing Baka (Mother Maybe)
Director: Sonny Calvento
Producer: Krizia Marie Millanes
Mando’s Better World
Director: Joel Ruiz
Producer: Monster Jimenez, Margie Templo
Pamilya Anakonda
Director: Jonathan James Albano
Producer: Carmi Raymundo
Posthouse
Director: Nikolas Red
Producer: Iana Bernardez
Tether
Director: Gian Arre
Producer: Anna Velario
The Scam of Angels
Director: Arden Rod Condez
Producer: Barbara Candano
Violet Flower
Director: Jerome Zamora
Producer: Wilfredo Manalang
Fiction Lab – Southeast Asia
Dear Family
Director: Monica Vanesa Tedja (Indonesia)
Producer: Astrid Saerong, Gugi Gumilang
First Breath After Coma
Director: Jason Iskandar (Indonesia)
Producer: Florence Giovani Chandra
Unmother
Director: Jen Nee Lim (Singapore)
Producer: Ke Ning Lee
Wingboy
Director: Grace Ng (Singapore)
Producer: Tan Jia Min
Creative Producers Lab
April Batican
Epicmedia Productions Inc. (Philippines)
Beta Giovanni Rahmadeva
QUN Films (Indonesia)
Howard Yambao
Eichef Media \ HFilms (Philippines)
Keisha Therese Halili
Micromedia Digital Video Productions (Philippines)
Kyle Nieva
Screen Asia Corporation (Philippines)
Mary Grace Pacat Liew
Foreground Pictures (Malaysia)
Racquel Medina
Southern Lantern Studios & Giya Studios (Philippines)
Sari Raissa Dalena
Kino Arts (Philippines)
Story Editing Lab
Dan Koh
Incantation Films (Singapore)
Jericho Miguel Aguado
Southern Lantern Studios (Philippines)
Paul Sta. Ana
Pelikulaw (Philippines)
First Cut Lab
Ajoomma
Director: He Shuming (Singapore)
Producer: Anthony Chen
Editor: Armiliah Aripin
Stone Turtle
Director: Woo Ming Jin (Malaysia)
Producer and Editor: Edmund Yeo
Where is The Lie?
Director: Quark Henares (Philippines)
Producer: Armi Rae Cacanindin
Editor: Benjamin Tolentino
