Celebrating Asia's Best Content and Talent with the Inaugural Singapore Media Festival

Celebrating Asia's Best Content and Talent with the Inaugural Singapore Media Festival

Global industry leaders to shine light on Asia's media market

SINGAPORE and CANNES, France, Oct. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --


-- At the Singapore Media Festival (SMF) this 4 to 14 December, global
industry players looking to deepen their media business in Asia can
expect a more vibrant marketplace and a bigger celebration of the best
content and media talent in Asia.

-- SMF will bring together a seamless market for TV and film, screenings,
conferences and awards with the following four established media events
- Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market
(ATF), ScreenSingapore (SS) and Asian Television Awards (ATA).

-- The inaugural event is expected to bring together the leading producers,
content creators, distributors and buyers from both the broadcast and
film sectors to Singapore:

-- ATF and SS will see the gathering of more than 5,000 international
TV and film executives from over 60 countries, and 40 top-level
conference sessions featuring 70 speakers.
-- The awards show by ATA, which attracts more than 1,000 entries
across the region, is expected to reach a wide regional audience of
over 30 million households.
-- SGIFF with its showcase of more than 100 feature and short films
from over 50 countries, is expected to draw more than 10,000
visitors.
Leading media industry players and veterans to share expertise

Strong line-up of speakers for broadcast industry players


-- ATF will showcase a strong conference line-up featuring the thought
leaders in the broadcast industry, with representatives from the world's
most influential media brands such as Disney, CBS Paramount, Warner
Brothers, BBC and Viacom.

-- Global industry heavyweights who will share their insights at ATF
include Liu Xichen, President and CEO of 3C Media China, who will speak
on the growing format market in Asia. Alon Shtruzman, CEO of Keshet
International (Israel), who is well-known as one of the founding fathers
of Israel's multi-channel industry, will also be one of the keynote
speakers for ATF.

-- Other notable experts who will share their insights into Asia's
entertainment business include Robert Gilby, Managing Director, The Walt
Disney Company (Southeast Asia) (Singapore), Ricky Ow, President, Turner
International Asia Pacific (Hong Kong SAR), and Jonathan Spink, CEO, HBO
Asia (Singapore).
Initiatives to nurture talent for global success


-- In addition to a strong slate of conferences, a series of masterclasses
and workshops will be held to allow participants to learn from industry
veterans.

-- TV producers looking to gain insights into developing successful formats
for a global audience will be able to hear from renowned format experts
at MIP Academy. Speakers include May-yi Lee, Director of Factual Content
and Production at National Geographic Channels Asia, and Tim Crescenti,
President of Small World International Format Television. ATF will also
hold the Animation Lab, a three-day platform for Asian animation
producers to pitch to top programming directors from around the world.

-- At the Kids Animation Masterclass, Tom Beattie, Head of Animation and
Children's Programming for Tiger Aspect Productions (UK), who is
currently working on the second animation for Mr. Bean, will provide his
insights on creating a successful animated icon.

-- Aspiring filmmakers can look forward to new initiatives like the
Southeast Asian Film Lab and the Youth Jury programme that will be
launched at SGIFF.

-- The Southeast Asian Film Lab, to be helmed by established Singapore
filmmaker Eric Khoo, will focus on stories exploring the Southeast Asian
identity. Mentors for the film lab include Akanga Films' award-winning
producer Fran Borgia, and independent filmmaker and co-founder of Da
Huang Pictures, Tan Chui Mui. The Youth Jury, which aims to nurture the
next generation of film writers, will educate participants on film
theory and writing for a wider audience, as well as the cultural
significance of Southeast Asian works.
Singapore Media Festival to gather Asia's best content and talent


-- ATF and SS, with their strong market following in Asia, will bring
together trade participants from key regional markets such as China,
Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam. At the 2013
edition of ATF and SS, 52% of buyers came from Southeast Asia, 35% from
North Asia and 7% from South Asia; while 66% of content featured at the
market originated from Asia.

-- The best media talent and content from Asia will also have a greater
platform to be showcased and discovered through the Asian Television
Awards (ATA) and SGIFF.

-- As one of the most significant and celebrated events in Asia's TV
industry, ATA currently has 43 awards under its belt to recognise
quality works from Asia. This year, riding on the digital trend, ATA has
introduced a new awards category for webcasters.

-- SGIFF's Silver Screen Awards will recognise and celebrate the best films
and talent from Asia and Singapore.

-- SGIFF's line-up of festival screenings will showcase a wide variety of
top-notch films, including its opening film Unlucky Plaza, by Singapore
filmmaker Ken Kwek. The film is Kwek's first feature film, and made its
debut at the Discovery Section of the Toronto Film Festival. Other
titles from Asia include Red Amnesia by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Wang
Xiaoshuai and From What Is Before by Philippines film maker Lav Diaz.

-- With the combined strengths of the Asia TV Forum and ScreenSingapore,
Singapore International Film Festival and Asian Television Awards, the
Singapore Media Festival is set to be the next must-attend international
media event for industry players to discover Asia's best content and
talent.

-- More information on SMF's constituent events can be found in the links
below:

-- Singapore International Film Festival, 4 - 14 December 2014
(http://sgiff.com/)
-- Asia TV Forum & Market, 9 - 12 December 2014
(http://www.asiatvforum.com/)
-- ScreenSingapore, 9 - 12 December 2014
(http://www.screensingapore.com.sg/)
-- Asian Television Awards, 11 December 2014
(http://ata.onscreenasia.com/)
For media queries, please contact:

Priscilla Gan (Ms)
Executive (Industry Communications)

Communications

Media Development Authority

Mobile: +65 8322 0337

Email: priscilla_gan@mda.gov.sg

About Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA)

The Media Development Authority of Singapore (www.mda.gov.sg) promotes the growth of globally competitive film, television, radio, publishing, music, games, animation and interactive digital media industries. It also regulates the media sector to safeguard the interests of consumers, and promotes a connected society. MDA is a statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Information (www.mci.gov.sg).

About the Singapore Media Festival

The Singapore Media Festival is set to become one of Asia's leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talent and content in Asia for Film and TV. It brings together four complementary events- Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore (SS), Asian Television Awards (ATA) and Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), which will take place from 4-14 December 2014. The Singapore Media Festival is hosted by the Media Development Authority of Singapore, and organised by Reed Exhibitions, Contineo Media and SGIFF Ltd.

SOURCE Media Development Authority of Singapore

Media Development Authority of Singapore

Web Site: http://ata.onscreenasia.com/


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Profile: intent