MANILA, PHILIPPINES, JULY 14, 2021 — Full Circle Lab Philippines, organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in partnership with Tatino Films, will have another virtual edition from September 20 to October 1 as the capacity-building program led by international industry experts continues to support Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers in enhancing their projects to become globally competitive. 

Now in its third year, the online Full Circle Lab Philippines will be held during the celebration of the Philippine Film Industry Month as declared in the Presidential Proclamation No. 1085.

The lab will be composed of the Fiction Lab, Series Lab, First Cut Lab, and the newest addition, the Creative Producers Lab, designed to nurture producers in project development, legal and financing issues, and company development to enhance the production value of their films. 

Filmmakers from the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are eligible and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration into the program’s four labs. 

The submission of applications will be until July 30, 2021, and the FDCP will be announcing the final selection of projects in the first week of September.  

FDCP, with Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño at the helm, seeks to make the Philippines a creative hub for filmmaking in the Southeast Asian region in collaboration with Full Circle Lab director Matthieu Darras, former Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Torino Film Lab. 

The international film lab has supported the development of film projects such as “Fan Girl,” by Antoinette Jadaone, “Babae at Baril” by Rae Red, “Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story” by Avid Liongoren, and “John Denver Trending” by Arden Rod Condez that competed in the world's A-List Festivals. “Fan Girl” had its world premiere at Tallinn Film Festival, “Hayop Ka!” just recently competed in the Annecy Film Festival, while “John Denver Trending” competed in the New Currents section of the Busan International Film Festival.

Xeph Suarez’s “Dancing the Tides,” one of the selected projects for the First Cut Lab Manila in 2019 and Southern Voices Film Lab’s Special Jury Prize awardee winning the Co-Production Grant worth PHP 500,000, is participating in this year’s La Fabrique Cinéma of the Cannes Film Festival.

Full Circle Lab alumni projects “Sam” by director E Del Mundo and producer Pamela Reyes and “Don’t Cry Butterflies” by Duong Dieu Linh are among the selected projects in this year’s Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors, while “Pierce” by Nelicia Low participated in this year’s Far East Film Festival’s Focus Asia. 

“For the past two years, Full Circle Lab Philippines has supported Filipino and Southeast Asian projects that have evolved into critically-acclaimed and internationally competitive films. By continuing this partnership with Tatino Films and Full Circle Lab, we are honored to be able to give guidance, support, and platforms to our filmmakers. We are excited to become a part of their Full Circle Lab journeys that will certainly mold the future of the Philippine film industry,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Diño.

Last year, the 2nd Full Circle Lab Philippines was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Circle Lab has supported 20 projects from various countries in Southeast Asia, including 13 projects from the Philippines and seven projects with productions and co-productions from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan. 

 
See more details for the submission process below:

FULL CIRCLE LAB PHILIPPINES 2021

For the 2021 edition, FDCP and Tatino Films will continue to provide opportunities for the filmmakers to further develop and elevate their projects in the online version of the Full Circle Lab. The selected projects will have the opportunity to have an initial consultation with their assigned industry experts from the pool of Full Circle Lab mentors through a series of online meetings to ensure the safety of all the mentors, participants, and organizers. 

 
Full Circle Lab Philippines aims to:

• Identify, nurture, and train creative talents in the Philippines and Southeast Asia;
• Support Filipino and Southeast Asian film projects along  with their development and post-production processes – to enhance their artistic and audience potentials with a focus on storytelling;
• Foster the internationalization of the Filipino film industry and positioning the Philippines as a creative hub in the Southeast Asian region;
• Create synergy between industry experts and professionals across the globe through sessions and talks via online platforms.

LABS

The program is composed of four labs: Fiction, Series, Creative Producers, and First Cut Labs.

• The Fiction Lab nurtures feature films in development, combining works in plenary, groups, and individual consultations. 
• The Series Lab aims at answering the growing demand for episodic content from VOD platforms and will nurture series projects – both mini-series and multi-season series are accepted. 
• The Creative Producers Lab is the newest addition to the Full Circle Lab that will nurture producers with projects in development. 
• The First Cut Lab is open to feature films at the editing stage and helps creative teams to reach the film they envision, fostering their artistic and circulation potential.
• The Lab will be preceded by sessions headed by world-class experts as part of the FDCP’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) International Film Industry Conference from September 17 to 19, 2021.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS GUIDELINES

How to apply

Full Circle Lab Philippines is open to filmmakers from the Philippines and Southeast Asia countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

• Applicants should submit their entire application by the 30th of July 2021.
• All requirements shall be sent to [email protected]. 

Selection 

The Full Circle Lab mentors shall review the materials of eligible applicants and shall confer to select the final selection, ensuring the diversity of the lineup.
FDCP will be announcing the final selection of the official projects by 1st week of September 2021.

For Fiction and Series Labs, the stage of development of each project may vary.

1. Projects with or without producer(s) attached will equally be welcomed. There is no need to have financing in place.
2. Participants will be the author(s), and the directors and producers will also be attending if they are attached to the projects.
3. The Labs are open for projects that have not yet entered the pre-production stage.

Applicants must submit the following:

• Duly accomplished Application Form
• Logline (50 words), Synopsis (1 page), and Concept/Treatment (Up to 10 pages)
• Director’s and producer’s statements (Up to 2 pages)
• Director’s and screenwriter’s filmographies (1 page)
• Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)
• Rights to Adaptation if applicable.
• All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

 
For the Creative Producers Lab, producers must attend the whole duration of the lab. Independent Producers are welcome to apply.

Applicants must submit the following:

• Duly accomplished Application Form
• Producer’s statement (Up to 2 pages)
• Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)
• All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

For the First Cut Lab, the film’s producer, director, and editor must attend the whole duration of the Editing Lab.

Applicants must submit the following:

• Duly accomplished Application Form
• A minimum of 30 minutes of scenes from the film. Must be subtitled in English. Scenes can be separate and can be in the rough cut.
• Logline (50 words), Synopsis (1 page)
• Director’s and producer’s statements (Up to 2 pages)
• Director’s and editor’s filmographies (1 page)
• Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)
• All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

You may access the application form here: