what is Regional Reels?

Regional Reels is a two-year, multi-country screen industry exchange initiative driven by the Griffith Film School (GFS) in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Screen Academy (APSA) and funded by the ASEAN-Australia Centre. The project brings together 12 filmmakers - two each from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, and Australia - to co-develop cross-cultural screen projects that reflect the region’s diverse stories and to establish ongoing partnerships, trade, and investment opportunities.

Regional Reels aims to develop a model to build cross-regional relationships between emerging filmmaking talent and strengthen their project development process through mentorship and a consortium of institutional project partners. The focus of Regional Reels will be on developing cross-cultural ASEAN/Australia stories for global audiences and incubating projects that can attract international co-financing and investment, build lasting professional relationships across the region, and encourage skill sharing and development.

our challenge…

In an increasingly globalised entertainment industry, international co-productions (collaborative funding) can bring local stories to broader audiences. To this end, Australia established film co-production agreements with Malaysia and Singapore. The Film In Malaysia Incentive, Thailand's Film Incentive, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines' International Co-production Fund are further initiatives to encourage international co-productions and funding across the Asia Pacific region.

However, for emerging talent, accessing and navigating these opportunities is difficult. What is more, traditional co-productions typically function as funding vehicles that do not necessarily seek true co-creation and co-development of multicultural stories, but aim to incentivise local industry support in the funding countries.

Could co-productions be done in a different way?

Could they prioritise collaboration, co-creation and multicultural storytelling?

Outside of television writers rooms, screenwriting is often perceived to be the task of an individual writer with occasional feedback from peers, mentors, and industry. This 'loneliness of the writer’ is exacerbated as emerging writers are regularly taught to write introspectively - to write what they know. They then often start their careers with highly personal and hyper local stories. The educational systems that teach those writers do not prioritise working across cultures; neither do domestic screen funding agencies that encourage local stories for the screen.

In the Asia Pacific, the 'tyranny of distance' adds an additional geographical challenge to multicultural collaboration beyond diverse languages and cultures.

International co-productions and collaborative practices can be difficult to navigate for emerging creators and require strong networks, long development processes, and often, connections with more experienced producers.

regional reels asks…

How can a structured incubator program enhance the capacity of emerging ASEAN and Australian filmmakers to co-develop multicultural screen projects that are culturally authentic, commercially viable, and regionally collaborative?

Regional Reels aims to…

bridge gaps by developing a model to support multicultural screen projects and relationships between emerging filmmaking talent across Australia and South East Asia.
deepen mutual understanding, share and enhance creative skills, and forge lasting professional relationships that lead to cross-regional co-productions and co-financing opportunities for emerging ASEAN and Australian filmmakers.

'Regional Reels' is first and foremost an experiment in assembling single voices into a multicultural collaboration. The project acknowledges that the complexities of multicultural co-productions require a different approach: one that facilitates partnerships, skills sharing, investment opportunities and creative collaboration across cultures via the first ASEAN-Australia screen incubator and consortium.

research consortium

Multimedia University

Malaysia

Griffith University

Australia

Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia

Brunei

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

The Philippines

ASEAN-Australia Centre

Asia Pacific Screen Academy

This project has been funded by the ASEAN-Australia Centre

The ASEAN-Australia Centre was announced by the Prime Minister of Australia at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in March 2024. We deliver programs and initiatives that deepen Australia’s connections with Southeast Asia and ASEAN and support a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.

The Centre supports the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and progresses implementation of Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia joined in later years to make up today’s ten ASEAN Member States. In 2025, ASEAN Leaders agreed to admit Timor-Leste as the 11th member of ASEAN at the upcoming 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025. Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974 – formalising our shared goal to deepen our relationship.

and is supported by our industry partner the Asia Pacific Screen Academy

Asia Pacific Screen Academy is the flagship advocacy organisation which stands as the preeminent champion of cinematic excellence across the world’s most dynamic film region. Encompassing 78 countries and areas, representing 4.5 billion people and producing half of the world’s films, APSA celebrates the extraordinary diversity and creative power of Asia Pacific storytelling.

Through our flagship events – the prestigious Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the innovative Asia Pacific Screen Forum – APSA creates transformative connections between filmmakers, fostering international collaborations that transcend borders and cultures. Our platform has become a catalyst for groundbreaking co-productions, artistic exchanges, and the emergence of new voices in global cinema.

As a dynamic cultural bridge between Queensland and the Asia Pacific region, APSA drives innovation in storytelling, champions emerging talent, and creates lasting impact.