From Singapore to Sundance: first-timers' festival is just the ticket

Singapore

The Asian Festival of 1st Films (AFFF) may be in only its second year, but many of the winners at the inaugural event have now gone on to better things.

Last year's best feature, The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, by Filipino director Auraeus Solito, has since been screened at more than 30 international festivals, winning many awards, and is the Philippines' official entry in the best foreign-language category at next year's Academy awards.

Electric Shadows, from Chinese director Xiao Jian, who won best feature-film director, has been commercially released in the US, and one of the world's leading international sales organisations, Fortissimo Films, is distributing the DVD. Best documentary winner, Ifor India, went on to receive the grand jury prize at Sundance.

'The festival stands out as the only one of its kind because it celebrates first-time filmmakers,' says Sanjoy Roy, a documentary filmmaker and AFFF festival director. 'And it offers remarkable exposure for budding producers wanting a springboard into the international filmmakers' circuit.

'I think the measure of its success is the success of the films that made it in the big, bad world. Nine of the nominated films went on to find distribution, proving there's a market for good, new content. Some of the films went on to be recognised at other festivals.'