MPA APSA ACADEMY FILM FUND
“Most days filmmakers wake up to a big challenge in their struggle to bring their stories to the screen. There is not a lot of help along the way. But today is a good day for all of us. The initiative by the MPA and the APSAs is an exciting new opportunity that will help film making communities across Asia Pacific realise our dreams.”
- APSA International Jury President 2009, Huang Jianxin
(Bodyguards and Assassins, Founding of a Republic, Black Cannon Incident)
On June 19 2010, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards announced the formation of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund - a US $100,000 film fund exclusive to filmmakers in the Asia-Pacific region, supported wholly by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
The MPA APSA Academy Film Fund will be granted to four members of the APSA Academy, an influential body of filmmakers comprised of past APSA nominees, winners, Jury and Nominations Council members - many of the region’s most respected names in film.
Four grants, each of US $25,000, will be allocated to the script development of four new film projects. Inaugural recipients will be selected by a panel of industry experts and announced at the fourth annual APSA Ceremony scheduled to take place in Australia on Queensland’s Gold Coast on December 2, 2010.
The fund is intended to stimulate production in the region, particularly at the development phase, among the 70 countries embraced by APSA.
Announcing the new initiative from the Shanghai International Film Festival, President and Managing Director MPA Asia Pacific, Mike Ellis said:
“The APSAs have developed a strong reputation as the most coveted award in the region and the benefits of winning an award of this calibre are clear. This fund makes participation in the APSAs even more valuable for the professional opportunities it will open up to its Academy members. Our support of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund is emblematic of the MPA’s commitment to promoting, protecting and developing the wonderful work of the filmmakers in this region.”
APSA Academy Patron, Australian screen legend, Jack Thompson welcomed the formation of the fund saying:
“When we formed the APSA Academy in early 2008, the aim was to encourage dialogue and collaboration between the filmmakers of this vast and highly creative region. The MPA APSA Academy Film Fund will provide a very tangible benefit to our Academy members and I look forward to seeing the fruit that will come from this great initiative.”
Eligible for funding are treatments and synopses for feature length narrative films, children’s features, animated features and feature length documentaries which must have a Producer, Director or Screenwriter attached at the time of submission. While collaboration between Academy members is encouraged, only one Academy member attached to each submission is required provided they hold a role as one or more of the following: Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Actor, Actress or Cinematographer. Projects will be judged on the same criterion which applies to films in the APSA competition – films that best reflect their cultural origins, demonstrate cinematic excellence and are deemed Asia-Pacific.
Nominees in the 2010 APSAs (announced early October) are automatically inducted into the APSA Academy at the time of the Nominees announcement and are therefore eligible to apply for the 2010 funding round.
Rules and Regulations for the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund are now available here and also via the secure Academy Networking site. Please consult our helpful FAQs for more details on eligibility and how to submit. Submission Forms are now available through the secure Academy Networking site or by request for Academy members only, via: info@apscreenawards.com
Click here to view a comprehensive listing of APSA Academy members.
MPA APSA ACADEMY FILM FUND KEY DATES
June 19
Formation of MPA APSA Academy Film Fund announced in Shanghai
July 30
Submissions Open: Rules and Regulations live on APSA website
October 29
Submissions Close (postmarked October 31)
Late November
Project Assessment: Judging Panel meet on Australia’s Gold Coast
December 2
Inaugural Recipients Announced at the Fourth Annual APSA Ceremony