Tatino, Alternativa, QCinema Team on Pop Up Asian Film Residency Initiatives (EXCLUSIVE)
Naman Ramachandran Tatino Films, a French production and consultancy company involved in industry events in Asia and Europe, has teamed with Kazakhstan-based Alternativa Film Project and the Philippines’ QCinema Project Market for three film residencies. The partnership will yield two Pop Up film residencies called the Pop Up Alternativa Awards for filmmakers from Central Asia and one Pop Up QCFC (Quezon City Film Commission) x QCinema Award for Southeast Asian filmmakers to develop their upcoming film projects. Launched by Tatino Films in 2019, the Pop Up Film Residency is an international network of residencies for feature film projects that works with the likes of Cannes, Eurimages, Brazil’s BrLab and the Doha Film Institute among others.
Recent films developed at the Pop Up include “Slow” (best director, Sundance 2023) and “Stepne” (best director, Locarno 2023). The Alternativa Film Project and the QCinema Project Market were both launched in 2022. Backed by tech company inDrive, the Alternativa Film Project is developing a support system for Central Asian filmmakers that will culminate with the Alternativa Film Awards taking place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Dec.
2, with a total prize money of $100,000. Alternativa feature film nominees this year include “12 Weeks” (Philippines); “A Childless Village” (Iran); “Bauryna Salu” (Kazakhstan); “Bride Kidnapping” (Kyrgyzstan); “Cotton 100%” (Uzbekistan); “Haeil” (Korea); “Joseph’s Son” (India); “No Winter Holidays” (Nepal); “QORYQPA” (Kazakhstan); “Sunday” (Uzbekistan); “The Prisoner of Wakhan” (Kyrgyzstan); “Tul” (Kazakhstan); “Whispers of Fire & Water” (India); and “Who is Next?” (Kyrgyzstan). Short film nominees, for which only Central Asia is eligible, are “A Birdsong” (Kyrgyzstan); “Bride Stone” (Kyrgyzstan); “Dordoi City” (Kyrgyzstan); “Fairy Tale” (Uzbekistan); “Sary Omir” (Kazakhstan); “Son of the Sun” (Kyrgyzstan); and “The Late Wind” (Kazakhstan).
An initiative by the QCinema Film Festival, the inaugural QCinema Project Market will take place in Quezon City, Philippines, on Nov. 18-20. Some 20 projects in development will participate.
