PRESS Short Film Camp 2022 Winners

 

At Netflix x Purin Pictures Second Short Film Camp, Young Southeast Asian Filmmakers Tap Into Peer Networks, Industry Mentorship, and Funding Support

DEC 20, 2022 - Bangkok

Social Impact

As part of the Short Film Camp, led by Purin Pictures and sponsored by Netflix, four teams comprising filmmakers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar were awarded prizes this month in Bangkok. Their prizes included grants and post-production support to create their short films.

The 10-day filmmaking workshop aims to bring together filmmakers from less developed countries in the Asia Pacific and broaden opportunities for them by giving them access to training and industry mentors, as well as funding.

This year, the 24 participants from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar honed their writing, producing, and directing skills in a dual-track program for producers and directors. They were mentored by professional filmmakers from the Mekong Region, attended a career talk by Netflix, and did a live pitch of their short film projects.

“In my country, we have art, we have films, but we don’t give enough importance to these things,” said Chonchanok Thanatteepwong, 24, from Bangkok, Thailand. “Through this program, my mentor helped me to refine my script and I also learned a lot about producing.”

This is the second year that Netflix is a major sponsor of the Short Film Camp led by Purin Pictures.

The 10-day Short Film Camp gave emerging filmmakers from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar access to training, industry mentors, and funding.

The four winning short films were:

  • Ponay (Thailand)

  • The Witness (Laos)

  • Termite Life (Thailand)

  • Sad Diva Lands on the Moon (Myanmar)

“The winning four films are varied in genre and style but in all of them, you can see a filmmaker discovering their voice. We identify and invest in young talents with the hope that in the future, they will go on to become leaders in the film and content industries back home,” said Aditya Assarat, one of the co-founders of Purin Pictures.

Speaking during a Career Talk at the camp, Abishek Bajaj, Netflix’s Manager of Local Originals for Thailand, said: “We believe in authentic local stories and that great stories can come from anywhere.” He encouraged participants to “tell the stories that you know” and to write and push through “even when you’re not feeling inspired”.

Of the 12 pairs of directors and producers, five teams are from Thailand, four from Myanmar, two from Cambodia, and one from Laos. Their films cover topics ranging from family drama and LGBTQ issues to political repression and the deconstruction of identity.

“It's just been really amazing,” said Vicky Nway, 28, from Yangon, Myanmar. “It's very hard to find people to talk to about films. A lot of people in my community don’t know much about films, so we’ve been among like-minded people and we’ve been able to network and meet people from our industry.”

Samantha Kudus, Communications (Thailand) , [email protected]