The Across Asia Youth Film Festival (AAYFF) hosted at Tanglin was a celebration of creativity, storytelling, technical ability and innovation, through independent filmmaking. The festival was established to help emerging filmmakers (aged 10-21 years) from schools across Asia, reach the broadest possible audience and generate international dialogue.

The AAYFF was amazing. It brought together so many people from different countries around Asia …. This not only showcased our work and gave us a sense of accomplishment, but it also allowed us to learn from each other and draw inspiration for future projects.

– Liah Gomez, Tayo

There was an incredible response of 274 submissions from 50 different schools from 13 countries across Asia, including Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and as far away as Iran. Shortlisted films were showcased to the public and judges to view and vote for at a Gala Screening on 24 March 2017, which was simultaneously “live streamed” across Asia.

This red carpet event featured a panel of expert judges from Disney, MediaCorp and HBO, and was a platform for young filmmakers of today to tell their story and to reveal their talents.

The winning films showcased creative thinking, dynamic communication and collaborative working. As Tom Batchelor, GM – Disney Studios, said: “From the broad range of entries, there’s little doubt that the creative talent pool across Asia is incredibly deep and that this region continues to produce filmmakers with strong voices, displaying beautiful artistry, telling sophisticated, meaningful and inspirational stories and presenting them with high technical ability and mind-blowing creativity.”

Steve Burton, Executive Vice President, HBO Asia, added: “The quality of the entries was truly amazing. With the enthusiasm and professionalism of these young filmmakers, the future of Asian film looks very bright. We are already looking forward to next year’s event”.

Being the young filmmakers that we are, it is often difficult to find events that allow us to showcase our work to a large audience. However, thanks to the AAYFF, we were able to be acknowledged for our craft as well as witness a live panel composed of judges well-versed in the film industry.

 – Sophia De Dios, Tayo

It has been a humbling and rewarding experience to have our film showcased to an even wider audience and to have this powerful story told. To be a part of a talented and diverse group of young filmmakers who are all learning the craft and finding their artistic identity is very exciting.

– Myles Rublee, Tayo