News
OSCARS 2027: Best Int'l Feature Submissions
Ben’Imana has become Rwanda's first ever submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.
Africa
Red Sea Fund Backs 30 Asian & African Projects In 2026 Funding Cycles
Grantees include Cannes Camera d'Or winner Ben'imana, Theja Rio's Angh and Kamila Andini's Four Seasons In Java.
News
BUZZ LIST: Southeast Asia Projects In The Pipeline 2026
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 28: The list below highlights noteworthy Southeast Asian film projects in various stages of production, along with films that have premiered at international film festivals from Berlin 2026 onwards. Nationality of the director is in brackets after their names, but nationality of the projects is harder to determine
Southeast Asia
Philippines’ Cinemalaya Survives Storms; SWANA Festival Circuit Holds Steady
The Philippines' Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival wrapped its 10-day run last week with top honours going to The Mothering & Silkscreen.
Korea & Japan
Downside Of AI Overviews; Is Korea Recovering?; Indonesia 2026 H1 Box Office
In the week that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is tearing up the box office in multiple international territories, Streamlined is taking a look at whether the Korean market is recovering and what’s going on in Indonesia, where Spider-Man is already the highest-grossing film of the year.
Southeast Asia
‘Lucky Lu’ Wins Best Film At Malaysia Film Festival’s Golden Global Awards
Lloyd Lee Choi’s Lucky Lu wont Best Film in the Golden Global Awards of this year’s Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest, July 18-25). The US-Canada collaboration, which premiered in Directors Fortnight at last year’s Cannes film festival, follows a New York City delivery rider whose
Europe
Singapore Animation ‘The Violinist’ Wins Best Film At Annecy
Louis Clichy’s French-Belgian 'Iron Boy' was awarded three prizes at the festival, including the Jury Award.
Southeast Asia
Microdrama: Industry Saviour Or The End Of Content As We Know It?
Last week, Streamlined attended the APOS conference in Bali, Indonesia, for the first time since 2023. Back then, the streaming wars were still in full swing; the global and regional streamers were announcing huge slates of local-language productions; competition seemed healthy, and subscription numbers and ad revenue were both
Project Markets
DANAFF Project Market 2026: Full Line-Up
Vietnam's DANAFF Talents has selected ten Asian arthouse projects and eight Script Lab genre projects for its 2026 edition.
Africa
Annemarie Jacir & Rithy Panh Projects Among Titles Selected By Displacement Film Fund
International Film Festival Rotterdam’s (IFFR) Displacement Film Fund has revealed the five filmmakers selected for the second cycle of its short film grant scheme: Mohammed Amer, Annemarie Jacir, Akuol de Mabior, Bao Nguyen and Rithy Panh. Established in 2025, the fund is spearheaded by Cate Blanchett, actor, producer and
Southeast Asia
Streamlined Guides: Thailand Studios, Producers & Streaming
Thai films and series are currently enjoying a wave of international recognition, driven by dynamic mainstream and arthouse film production sectors, along with the global popularity of BL (Boys' Love) and GL (Girls' Love) series, which are raising the profile of Thai actors and actresses around the world.
Funding News
Purin Film Fund Spring 2026: Funding News
Bangkok-based Purin Film Fund has selected six projects to receive funding in its Spring 2026 session, including two fiction and two documentary projects for production support, and two documentary projects for post-production support. In total, the fund is handing out grants of $160,000 in this funding round.
News
Thai Pitch At Cannes Selects Three Projects Including Ekachai Uekrongtham’s ‘The Weight Of Ash’
Thai Pitch is returning to Cannes film festival this year with three projects from veteran director-producer Ekachai Uekrongtham and upcoming filmmakers Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn and Nuntanat Duangtisarn. Ekachai, whose second feature Pleasure Factory premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2007, will present The Weight Of Ash at this year’
Middle East & North Africa
Eid 2026 Box Office: Lebaran In Indonesia; 'Dhurandhar 2' & War Impact In Gulf
The Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim world’s Ramadan month of fasting, is a peak box office season in many territories around the world. This year, the holiday is coinciding with the US-Iran conflict, an issue for the Gulf territories which have been
Chinese-Speaking Markets
Filmart 2026: China, Hong Kong & The Future Of Content
This edition of Streamlined is coming to you from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China, the latest stop on my digital nomad tour – more on both China and my nomad life later. Everyone I’ve met so far in Chengdu has been very friendly, but I do
Chinese-Speaking Markets
HAF WIP Awards Presented To ‘Good Trip’ & ‘The Sea Speaks His Name’
HAF In Development Project Awards went to Vincci Cheuk’s 38.83 and Vulnerable Observer from Jiang Xiaoxuan.
News
HBF+Europe Minority Co-Prod & Post 2025: Funding News
Hubert Bals Fund has selected five projects for the 2025 round of its HBF+Europe Minority Co-pro scheme, and three for its HBF+ Europe Post scheme.
Southeast Asia
Streamlined Guides: Updates To Indonesia Market
One of Asia’s most vibrant content markets, Indonesia continued to see strong theatrical recovery in 2025 and early 2026, mostly driven by local features, along with a streaming sector that is growing in terms of both paid subscriptions and viewing hours. But it’s also a market that suffers