Bangkok-based film fund Purin Pictures has announced that it will be disbursing $140,000 as part of its fall grants program. The funds will be allocated to three Philippines-based projects and one Indonesian film, providing support for both production and post-production stages.
One of the chosen projects is “The Remotes,” which marks John Torres’ debut fiction film after two decades of making documentaries. This film follows the story of two sisters with superpowers who race against time to track a voice that controls human avatars, haunted by the revelation that it could be their deceased mother.
Another selected project is “Filipinana,” directed by Rafael Manuel and produced by Jeremy Chua. This film, which expands from a short film, recently received an award at the Asian Project Market in Busan. It tells the story of Isabel, a new tee girl who feels strangely drawn to Doctor Palanca, the president of the exclusive golf and country club where she works.
“Jaguar,” directed by Dean Colin Marcial, is an urban thriller that straddles the gap between independent and mainstream genre cinema. Bowie, a lone security guard working the night shift, unexpectedly becomes the sole witness to a murder in his old condominium in the heart of Manila.
The selected documentaries are “Bariles” by Sheryl Rose Andes and “Planet of Love” by Ika Wulandari. “Bariles” explores the lives of tuna fishermen from a small village in the Philippines who have to face unforeseen challenges when seawater becomes warmer. “Planet of Love” follows the story of a nanny who works in an orphanage for children with HIV as she takes care of her stubborn grandson, one of the foster children at the facility.
The grants awarded by Purin Pictures include $30,000 for fiction films and $15,000 for documentary films in the production stage, as well as $50,000 for fiction films and $35,000 for documentary films in the post-production stage.
Purin Pictures, a non-profit film fund, focuses on supporting independent cinema in Southeast Asia. Established in 2017 under the Purin Foundation, the organization’s activities cover film production, exhibition, and education. Filmmakers Anocha Suwichakornpong (“Come Here”) and Aditya Assarat (“Ten Years Thailand”) manage the fund.
Anocha Suwichakornpong expressed her enthusiasm for the growing interest in Filipino cinema, with half of all the submissions received for the fall grants coming from the Philippines. She credits the country’s various local support schemes and the filmmakers’ “just-do-it mentality” for the creation of interesting and diverse works.
Filmmakers and producers interested in participating in the spring 2024 grants session can submit their entries starting from February 1, 2024. Purin Pictures continues to actively support and nurture independent cinema across Southeast Asia.
