ATF Opens in Singapore

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SINGAPORE: Asia TV Forum and ScreenSingapore officially kicked off today, with organizers expecting some 5,000 attendees.

The major Hollywood studios all have a presence this year, alongside distributors and producers from across the globe, including 16 country pavilions, among them Australia, China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan and the U.K. There are more than 670 content sellers participating. This year’s event also includes Junior@ATF and Formats@ATF.

The market was preceded by a day of conference sessions yesterday, including keynotes from D.J. Lee, president of the media content business at CJ E&M; René Rechtman, the president of international at Maker Studios; and Steve Macallister, the CEO of all3media international. Macallister announced during his session yesterday that all3media international is sponsoring the inaugural ATF Formats Pitch next year. Details for the calls for submission will be announced in 2016. The judging panel will include execs from Studio Lambert and Lion TV, among others, plus commissioners. The winner of the inaugural ATF Formats Pitch 2016 will receive a cash prize and bespoke consultancy with all3media producers, as well as a path to distribution via all3media international. “We are delighted to be supporting this initiative as a key element of our strategy in Asia is to build relationships with the local production community,” Macallister said. “Great content always travels and we are keen to tap into the excellent talent base in the region.”

“As the region’s preferred integrated TV and film content event, ATF and SS present the quintessential marketplace for international content sellers to connect with the regional Asian content buyers and sellers,” said Hui Leng Yeow, senior project director for ATF and ScreenSingapore at Reed Exhibitions. “Attendees benefit from meeting the best in the entertainment content industry, to buy and sell content, co-produce and distribute their productions. As a conference, the ATF and SS grant participants the opportunities to imbibe knowledge from guest speakers and visiting thought leaders. Through ATF and SS, we are excited to collectively move the industry forward to the next level.”

In his opening address this morning, Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, outlined plans for the future of the Singaporean media industry. These include investing in people, with Ibrahim noting, “We will continue to invest in our creative talent to create an ecosystem where they can flourish and fulfill their dreams. We will continue to build an environment for our filmmakers to tell their stories to the world. We will also create opportunities for them to learn new skills to thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape.” To enhance skill sets, the MDA partnered with Maker Studios this year to organize a boot camp for digital content creation. “We will take this one step further, by creating a dedicated space for budding creators to learn, experiment, collaborate and grow their skills,” Ibrahim said. Creators’ Space will be located at PIXEL in One-North.

The Singaporean will also continue to invest in content, “We want to create content that will be watched and remembered by generations to come.” To aid in this effort, the MDA is working with HBO Asia “to train our professionals to produce high-quality dramas for an international audience…. Under our partnership, HBO Asia will organize training programs led by experienced international practitioners, to share their expertise with local talent. These training programs will develop a wide spectrum of skills from development through to delivery. Local companies and talent will also have a chance to work on HBO Asia productions which will provide valuable on-the-job training opportunities. I am confident that we will see more exciting Singapore-made dramas arising from this partnership.”

Also key, Ibrahim said, is investing in connections. “The Singapore Media Festival is one way we are growing our connections to the world today. With such a strong slate of events, we expect more than S$350 million worth of deals and to attract almost 20,000 participants. More importantly, the SMF will present opportunities to develop our media talent, distribute locally-made content more widely, and establish new connections with the world.”