APM - Asian Project Market

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The 2023 Asian Project Market (APM), which will be held for 4 days from Oct 7 (Sat) to Oct 10 (Tue) at Exhibition Center 1 of the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), has announced this year’s 30 selections.

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30 Feature Projects from 13 Countries Selected for APM 2023!

Numerous Projects by BIFF Alumni Directors

 

 

Asian Project Market, the biggest film investment and co-production market in Asia, has selected 30 projects for this year’s edition. With a total of 399 submissions from 50 countries, this year marked the second highest competition rate to date. This year saw a large number of submissions from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, while the number of Japanese and Taiwanese projects saw a significant increase from previous years. In particular, the increase in number of co-productions between countries in Asia and the Americas and Europe is raising expectations for Asian contents and creators.

 

The large number of selections by BIFF alumni Asian directors is garnering much attention. APM 2023 official selections include Mr. Van (Vietnam / Germany) by director Kim Quy Bui, who was invited to the New Currents section at the Busan International Film Festival 2021, and Southern Summer (China / Malaysia) by director Lan Tian, recipient of the Sonje Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2022. In addition, Song Fang, alumnus of the first edition of the Asian Film Academy (AFA) who has become a prominent figure on the international stage, and Makbul Mubarak, AFA 2018 alumnus, have also returned to BIFF as directors. Furthermore, projects by directors Fukada Koji, Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, and Kawawada Emma, who met with the audience at the Busan International Film Festival 2022 with past APM projects, Rima Das, who received high acclaim from critics and the media with last year’s BIFF official selection, Tora’s Husband (2022), and directors Hsu Chao-Jen and Hirose Nanako have been selected.

 

The selection of various northeast Asian projects is also grabbing attention with collaborative projects between experienced and newly emerging directors, as well as selections with promising and creative stories.

 

In addition, 7 Korean projects were selected for the 2023 Asian Project Market, including projects by directors Yoon Danbi, who received international recognition with her feature debut and quadruple crown winner at the 2019 Busan International Film Festival, Moving On (2019), An Old Lady (2019)’s Lim Sun-ae, A Leave (2020)’s Lee Ranhee, and Kim Mi-young, who received the DGK MEGABOX Award at the 2021 Busan International Film Festival. With director Lee Dongwoo’s Snake & Scorpion, a feature adaptation of last year’s Wide Angle selection of the same title, director Shin Sun of No Surprise (2021), and director Kang Yi Kwan, who will be revisiting BIFF with Morning Star, APM is expected to give insight to the future of Korean cinema.

 

APM 2023, which has revealed the official selections for 2023, will be held for 4 days from Oct 7 (Sat) to Oct 10 (Tue) during the 18^th Asian Contents & Film Market, while the 28^th Busan International Film Festival will be held for 10 days from Oct 4 (Wed) to Oct 13 (Fri) at the Busan Cinema Center.

 

[Asian Project Market 2023 Official Projects]

 

                                                                          ※ Project titles in alphabetical order

                                         * : Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) Script Development Fund Selections

No.	Project Title	Director	Producer	Production Country
1	Appetite for Desire	Peter HO	KAO Chun Ting HUNG Hsiu Lin Patrick Mao HUANG	Hong Kong, China / Taiwan
2	The Botanist  in the White House	JING Yi	SHAN Zuolong QI Ai	China
3	Chronicles of a Confession*	Prateek VATS	Ranjan SINGH Sahana MANJESH	India
4	Daughters of the Sea	Martika RAMIREZ ESCOBAR	Monster JIMENEZ Rajiv IDNANI	Philippines
5	Filipinana	Rafael MANUEL	Jeremy CHUA	Singapore / United Kingdom / Philippines​​
6	First Step	YOON Danbi	KIM Gi-hyeon	Korea
7	For the Girls of the Tribe	Arsalan AMIRI	Ida PANAHANDEH Ruth Yoshie LINTON	Iraq / Türkiye / Singapore
8	Friends of This Life	KIM Mi-young	Jenny YANG	Korea
9	Full Moon	SONG Fang	ICHIYAMA Shozo	China / Japan
10	I'll Smile in September	Aakash CHHABRA	Sanjay GULATI Fran BORGIA	India / Singapore
11	The Last Semester	LEE Ranhee	SHIN Woonseop LEE Sejin​	Korea
12	Madness and Honey Days	Ahmed Yassin AL DARADJI	Maytham JBARA	Iraq / Canada
13	Malati, My Love	Rima DAS	Rima DAS	India
14	Morning Star	KANG Yi Kwan	PARK Jooyoung	Korea
15	Mr. Tiger	HSU Chao-Jen	Stefano CENTINI CHANG Chuti CHOI Kwang-suk	Taiwan
16	Mr. Van	Kim Quy BUI	NGUYEN Mai NGUYEN Hong Quan	Vietnam / Germany
17	Nagi Notes	FUKADA Koji	OSANAI Terutaro	Japan / France
18	Pay the Bill	Assel AUSHAKIMOVA	Assel YERZHANOVA Assel AUSHAKIMOVA	Kazakhstan
19	The Road to Elysium	LIM Sun-ae	KANG Jiyoun	Korea
20	Snake & Scorpion	LEE Dongwoo	CHO Young Kag	Korea
21	SOL	HASEI Kohki	ISHIGE Eisuke OHNO Atsuko	Japan / France
22	Son & Sun	KAWAWADA Emma	IDE Yoko	Japan
23	Southern Summer	LAN Tian	TENG Lee Yein HUO Chuxin YU Ru	China / Malaysia
24	Suraiya	Robiul Alam ROBI	Fazle Hasan SHISHIR Shibabrata BARMAN	Bangladesh
25	Tarkam	Teddy SOERIAATMADJA	Ruly SJAFRI	Indonesia
26	To Kill a Mongolian Horse*	JIANG Xiaoxuan	TAN Chui Mui MO Zhulin	China
27​	Watch It Burn	Makbul MUBARAK	Yulia Evina BHARA	Indonesia
28	What’s Love Got to Do with It?	HIROSE Nanako	KITAHARA Eiji  KOIDE Daiju	Japan
29	Where the Rivers Run South*	Suraj PAUDEL	Anup POUDEL Abinash Bikram SHAH	Nepal
30	The Women Who Brush Their Teeth Outside	SHIN Sun	KIM Soon-mo	Korea

 

■ The 28th Busan International Film Festival : Oct 4 (Wed) – Oct 13 (Fri)

 

■ The 18th Asian Contents & Film Market : Oct 7 (Sat) – Oct 10 (Tue)