Asia Pacific Screen Academy » MPA APSA Academy Film Fund

MPA President and Managing Director Asia Pacific, Mike Ellis announces inaugural fund recipients at the 2010 APSA Ceremony

Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser (pictured with SIFF Managing Director Madam Tang Lijun) announces the formation of the film fund at the 2010 Shanghai International Film Festival

2010 MPA APSA Academy Film Fund Selection Panel

In June 2010 at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards announced the formation of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund – a $100,000 development fund exclusive to filmmakers in the Asia Pacific region, supported wholly by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

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

Nurturing the Development of Asia Pacific Stories

Four grants, each of US $25,000, are allocated to the script development of four projects. A member of the APSA Academy must be attached to the project in one of the following roles: Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Actor, Actress or Cinematographer. Projects are assessed 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 in origin.

The film fund is intended to stimulate production in the region, particularly at the development phase, among the 70 countries embraced by APSA.

In April 2012, the APSA and the MPA announced the continuation of the fund for 2012. Submissions are accepted from April 25 – October 19, 2012. Applications are assessed by a panel in November and recipients are announced at the sixth annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards on November 23.

Academy members will be notified ahead of the submissions open date and Rules & Regulations will be available to download from this page.

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION

The MPA represents the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. As part of this, it investigates and reports on activities infringing its member companies’ intellectual property rights, assists with the resulting criminal and civil litigation to protect their copyrights, and conducts education outreach programs to teach movie fans around the world about the harmful effects of piracy. These activities have helped to transform entire markets from pirate to legitimate, benefiting local film industries, filmmakers and audiences alike.