Singapore, 27 July 2010: MediaCorp, Singapore’s leading media company, and NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster, have selected four projects to commission after a fourth successful run of its regional pitching event, The Asian Pitch. The winners will receive full funding for their documentary production.
Now on its 4th year, The Asian Pitch is an initiative by the two public broadcasters targeting independent directors who live and work in Asia, to tell original stories about the region. It aims to create new HD documentaries and find new talent in Asia. The finished programs will be available internationally. Previous documentaries, Supermen of Malaegon, For the Love of Shakespeare, Farmer’s Struggle, The Mummy Thief have all received international recognition for creative and production excellence.
About 100 proposals were submitted between January and April 2010 from countries such as Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Azerbaijan. Twelve of these entries were short-listed and directors were flown to Singapore to pitch their stories to a panel of executive producers from NHK and MediaCorp on 22-23 July 2010.
NHK’s Mr. Kenichi Imamura, Senior Producer of International Acquisitions and Co-productions, one of the jury members who will also be executive producing one of the winning programmes says “I was thrilled to meet such dedicated filmmakers and hear so many interesting stories that each portrays the various aspects of Asia. TAP is truly an opportunity of discoveries in terms of people and ideas”.
MediaCorp’s Caldecott Productions International Senior Vice President, Ms Ong Hee Yah, says, “When we took on this adventure with our long-time partner, NHK, to seek original stories and talents from Asia, we knew that there were many waiting to be found and crafted creatively. This year’s crop of directors confirms this once again and we are more than delighted with what we discovered this year.”
The Asian Pitch 2010 selected directors and projects are:
1. Angels of Troubled Paradise, Raja Shabir Khan (India)
2. Street Teachers, Pitchapuk Malone (Thailand)
3. The Rest of My Life is for Sale, Liu Shuo (China)
4. Living for the Dead, Vikram Mishra (India)
The four projects will start production this fall and will be available internationally next summer.
Synopses for the Projects:
1) Title: Angels of Troubled Paradise
Director: Raja Shabir Khan
Country: India
Synopsis: Many children in Kashmir, some of whose fathers have been killed, arrested, or are missing, are forced to help their families survive. One such boy is Aadil, who lives with his parents in an area referred to as the “Gaza Strip” of Kashmir. He collects tear gas shells fired by police at protesters and sells them to a scrap dealer. Because the scrap dealer won’t accept the shells unless they are cleared of the explosive material, he must often remove the detonator and take out the explosives from the shells by hand. There is always the danger of it exploding, but as Aadil says, “I prefer to die bravely collecting shells rather than dying of hunger.”
2) Title: Street Teachers
Director: Pitchapuk Malone
Country: Thailand
Synopsis: This documentary follows three passionate individuals who are trying to make a difference in the lives of Thailand’s homeless children. As they go around town, witness how they discover what life is really like when you are struggling to survive without a home or family. See the obstacles they must overcome, and the extraordinary acts of kindness that turn these children’s lives around. This “classroom” is often the only safe haven these kids have, and through the relentless efforts of the teachers, the walls of distrust and low self-esteem are broken down – and hope is restored.
3) Title: The Rest of My Life is For Sale
Director: Liu Shuo
Country: China
Synopsis: A 23-year-old girl opens an online shop selling “the rest of her life.” In her own words posted on the website: “It’s your right to arrange my life, and it’s my duty to serve you. I’ll fulfil your wishes. I’ll take pictures of the process and put them on my website so all people will know how I live with your arrangements.” The price for her life? USD1 for 8 minutes, USD3 for an hour, and USD15 for a day. Watch as she undertakes a myriad of requests – from bringing cat food to an old lady who takes care of 200 vagrant cats, to collecting 100 pictures of 100 smiling men for a girl’s birthday. From the day she opened shop, this girl has been living 2 separate lives – one is her reality, the other, her virtual world.
4) Title: Living for the Dead
Director: Vikram Mishra
Country: India
Synopsis: In the journey of life, death is the final truth. Everyone hopes and wishes for a death with dignity. In a country of more than a billion people, where many don’t even find dignity in life, asking for a venerable end is hoping for the impossible. This documentary is a heartrending, emotional journey into the lives of the few exceptional individuals who have found meaning to their lives through the dead and dying. One of them is a man who has performed over 1500 cremations on unclaimed bodies and has kept a meticulous record of the deceased – dog-eared files, tattered diaries, photographs – in case the family someday comes looking for the dead relative. The protagonists are common people who have turned personals tragedies into inspiring stories of hope and humanity.
For more information, please contact:
Peggy Tan
Caldecott Productions International
Mediacorp Pte Ltd
Tel: (65) 6350 3263
Fax: (65) 6259 2062
E-mail: peggytan@mediacorp.com.sg
Marina Iwamura
International Public Relations
NHK
Tel: (81) 3 5455 2459
Fax: (81) 3 3469 8110
E-mail: iwamura.m-gc@nhk.or.jp
About Caldecott Productions International
Caldecott Productions International is MediaCorp’s production service arm with a key focus on producing high quality HD Asian documentaries for an international market. Our specialty is in producing original stories that inspire, educate and empower change. We engage in co-productions with international broadcasters and work with some of the most creative independent directors in Asia for authenticity and local perspectives.
MediaCorp is Singapore’s leading media company with the most complete range of platforms, spanning television, radio, newspapers, magazines, movies and digital media. MediaCorp has over 50 products in four languages (English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil), including online classifieds, Internet TV-on-demand and High Definition TV broadcast. Winner of numerous international awards and accolades including Asia Television's Broadcaster of the Year, MediaCorp’s vision is to become Asia’s top media company, delivering valued content to the world.
For more information, please visit www.caldecottproductions.com
About NHK
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) is Japan’s public broadcaster. Funded entirely by receiving fees from Japanese households, it has a reputation for impartial, high-quality programming. Through its five nationwide TV channels, NHK reaches about 50 million households. A large staff of directors, producers, and engineers enables NHK to make programs in almost every genre. NHK pioneered HD television and is known for its use of cutting-edge shooting technologies to produce high-quality programs.
For more information, please visit www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld