Myanmar Script Fund Award Ceremony: 3 Awards and a Special Mention
MSF Short-to-Feature Award goes to CITY BIRDS, by Nay Wunn Ni, Director and produced by Myo Thar Khin
MSF Script Development Award goes to MEL MO, by Kaung Myat Thu Kyaw, Director and produced by Aye Nilar Kyaw
MSF Open Doors Award goes to the producer Lin Sun Oo for THE MIST OF MAYA, by Director Zaw Win Htwe
MSF Special Mention goes to CURVE, by Mann Pye Phyo Aung, Director and produced by Hnin Ei Hlaing
MEMORY! Cinema ran the 5th edition of Myanmar Script Fund for emerging Myanmar Filmmakers developing their first or second long feature films (fiction only). After two intense weeks of coaching and online meetings with professionals from the film industry, the finalists of the MSF Original section presented their projects in front of the MSF Jury, chaired by Mrs Dechen Roder, filmmaker (Bhutan). Six projects were in competition. At the end of the Jury's deliberation, three prizes and a Special mention were announced officially during the MSF Award and Closing Ceremony on Dec 9.
The MSF Short-to-Feature Award goes to CITY BIRDS, by Nay Wunn Ni, Director and produced by Myo Thar Khin.
The "MSF Short-to-Feature Award" is intended to help the project that most needs an additional short film to strengthen its case. The director of the short film must be the same as the director of the submitted project. The subject and duration are completely free. The short film must be a fiction. For the production of this short movie, a grant 2,000 euros will be given to the winning team.
The 2020 MSF Script Development Award goes to MEL MO, by Kaung Myat Thu Kyaw, Director and produced by Aye Nilar Kyaw.
The “MSF Script Development Award" is intended to support the project with the strongest scriptwriting potential by adding to the team a scriptwriter-consultant who will work directly with the director in the development of the treatment. The total value of the award is 2,000 euros that will be fairly shared between the scriptwriter-consultant and to the winning team.
The 2020 MSF Open Doors Award goes to the producer Lin Sun Oo for THE MIST OF MAYA, by Director Zaw Win Htwe.
This Award enables a creative producer to participate in the 2021 edition of the Open Doors Lab - Locarno Festival (Switzerland) in August 2021.
‘All the MSF finalists who have been selected this year, are already winners, because the spotlight is now on those film projects ; and organisations like Cannes Locarno, Busan Film festivals and other A-list festivals will already be watching their development with interest’, added the co-founder of Myanmar Script Fund, Séverine Wemaere.
Due to the pandemic, Myanmar Script Fund was hold fully online: over 140 online sessions, 12 film projects, 25 candidates, 14 experienced professionals representing, a dozen top-notch international film festivals and script funds. MSF handled two different sections: MSF Original for new projects where 6 finalist teams faced final pitching competition with 3 awards at stake; MSF Advanced for MSF alumni’s where 6 finalist teams could present their projects to film industry decision makers for further selection in international festivals, script funds and coproduction platforms.
Myanmar Script Fund (MSF) is a year-round program with peak sessions at the end of the year.
MSF acts as a talent scouting for independent cinema in Myanmar. Since 2016, more than 70 talents have been trained, representing about 30 feature film projects. Beyond the competition, all finalists are then eligible for a customized follow-up, notably for future applications to international platforms that are crucial for the development of a film project.
The MSF program is supported by the Union Ministry of Information of Myanmar, the French Embassy, the Institut français, the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, The European Union Delegation in Myanmar, CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée, French National Film Center), Arte, the US Embassy, the Locarno Festival-Open Doors and Forever Group.
International Jury for 2020 Myanmar Script Fund chaired by Mrs Dechen Roder, filmmaker and producer (Buthan).
Sophie Bourdon, Open Doors / Locarno Festival (Switzerland), Rachel Mathews, Script Professor (UK, Germany), Marianne Dumoulin, Producer, JBA Production (France), Isabelle Glachant,
Chinese Shadows (China-France), Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, Torino Film Lab
(Sweden) and Vit Janecek Producer and Professor at the FAMU (Czech Republic).
The six finalists film projects of Myanmar Script Fund Original 2020:
CITY BIRDS by Nay Wunn Ni and produced by Myo Thar Khin
CURVE by Mann Pye Pyo Aung and produced by Hnin Ei Hlaing
INFINITE PAIN by Sic Hmuu Naing and produced by Jose Dennis C. Teodosio
MEL MO by Kaung Myat Thu Kyaw and produced by Aye Nilar Kyaw
THE MIST OF MAYA by Zaw Win Htwe and produced by Lin Sun Oo
THE YELLOW FIELD by Min Min Hein and produced by Min Min Hein
