A six month developmental platform for emerging film programmers

Deadline: Monday, 3 March 2025 (2359H SGT)

The Film Programmers Lab is a new initiative presented by Objectifs and the Asian Film Archive. Now in its second consecutive year, the lab is a 6-month developmental platform for emerging film programmers based in Singapore. The programme will consist of a series of blended-approach workshop sessions (theory and practical), closed-door consultations, and a public talk. The programme will also provide four selected participants with mentorship and a valuable support network. Selected participants will work in pairs to eventually curate and publicly present a film programme for either Objectifs’ FreshTake! or AFA’s Singapore Shorts at the end of the workshop.

The Film Programmers Lab will run from 27 March to 31 August 2025.

Applications will be assessed by Objectifs, the Asian Film Archive, and the programme’s mentor for 2025, Phoebe Pua.

Applicants must commit to the entire duration and all sessions of the lab.

APPLY NOW!

 


Workshop Schedule (all timings are in GMT + 8, Singapore time)
Thu, 27 Mar:
Introduction and fundamentals; Beginning with the end in mind
Sat, 29 Mar:
Programme conceptualisation
Sat, 5 Apr: Concept presentations and consultations
Sat, 12 Apr: Care and ethics in film programming
Sat, 19 Apr: How to market and write for a film programme; Programme pitching
Sat, 26 Apr: Programme dry run and debrief
Jul – Aug: Present screening programmes at Asian Film Archive and Objectifs

Public Talk date to be announced soon. Watch this space!


Mentor

Phoebe Pua is an independent film programmer specializing in Southeast Asia. A recovering academic, her research has been published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies, Language in Society, and Discourse, Context, and Media. She has collaborated with arts and cultural institutions including Objectifs Centre for Film and Photography, the NUS Museum, the Singapore Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan. She was Mentor for the Youth Critics Program at the 2022 and 2023 Singapore International Film Festival and Editor of its inaugural post-festival publication, Atlas. Phoebe loves swapping stories with independent filmmakers and convincing audiences that the movie they’d skip is the one they’ll swear by.