The countdown to FILMART 2024 has kicked into high gear, with organisers saying more than 700 regional Asia and international exhibitors are expected to gather in Hong Kong for the four-day event, which runs from 11-14 March.

Taiwanese-American director, Arvin Chen, isn’t thinking of his recent shift from film to TV as anything like a giant leap.

Indonesia’s feature films have made much more of an impact in the premium space than its TV series, which for years have been dominated by long-running local low-budget mass-market soap operas. Global and domestic streaming attention changed the game.

Taiwan has taken to the international stage with its money where its mouth is and a plan that gives the creative industry national strategic importance.

When 50+ projects took to the stage in Taipei in November for Taiwan’s largest and most international pitch of its kind, the country cemented its position as a gathering place of fresh projects and unique stories, as well as a source of production partners and funding.

Independent producers in Asia have never had this much opportunity to tell their stories. But there’s still a lot standing between the current situation and celebration for indies in Malaysia & Singapore.