Filmmakers in Asia and Europe are pushing increased collaboration, coming out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival with a new partnership between the year-old Asian Film Alliance Network (Afan) and the European Film Agency Directors association (Efad). 

The partnership between national film agencies involves 37 Efad and seven Afan members involves policy and regulation, film industry development and info exchange on issues and challenges impacting the film industry.

Afan chair, Alex Sihar, said the aim was to develop a better world film ecosystem against a backdrop of constant change and an urgent need for more information exchange and joint effort. 

Sihar is the special staff director general film of Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research & Technology. 

Efad president, Chris Marcich, from the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, talked about common challenges.  

Japan’s National Film Archive and Agency of Cultural Affairs Japan and Thailand’s National Soft Power Development Subcommittee in Film Industry participated in the Afan/Efad closed-door roundtable discussion as observers. 

The Asia-Europe film relationship was at the centre of an additional discussion – “Asia-Europe: Common Stakes for the film industry” – hosted by the French National Centre of Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC).    

Afan was formed in 2023, initiated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic) to bring national film agencies together. 

Lorna Tee was elected at the Busan International Film Festival 2023 as Afan’s secretary general for a three year term. 

Afan’s founding members are Kofic; BPI (Indonesian Film Board/Ministry of Education, Culture, Research & Technology); FDCP (Film Development Council Philippines); Finas (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia); IMDA/SFC (The Infocomm Media Development Authority/Singapore Film Commission); MNFC (Mongolian National Film Commission); and Taicca (Taiwan Creative Content Agency).