HOOQ Calls Asian Filmmakers to Turn TV Series Ideas Into Reality

Asia, many say, is the part of the world from which great TV arises. This year, HOOQ -- the largest Video on Demand service in South East Asia -- is mounting a project that turns TV series ideas into reality by calling Asian filmmakers to send in their scripts and treatments for a TV series idea.

calling Asian filmmakers!

During a media conference held at B Hotel in Quezon City the other day, Allison Chew, HOOQ Head of Brand, pointed out that more and more Asian viewers are making the shift to watching local shows so HOOQ is giving film professionals "a format to tell their stories" via the HOOQ Filmmakers Guild.

Renowned director, Erik Matti, who will represent the Philippines on the judging panel, affirmed that, "Everyone's moving to online so we can already see the shift to online viewing. HOOQ offers an international opportunity for us to share our stories and bring them to the global stage."

Direk Erik further added he believes the Philippines still has a lot of undiscovered filmmakers out there just waiting for their big break. "The HOOQ FIlmmakers Guild will give these aspiring filmmakers a chance to see their ideas become reality and, hopefully, inspire others to pursue their dream."

(from left) Allison Chew, Jane Cruz-Walker, Director Erik Matti, 
and Jeff Remigio HOOQ Content and Programming Head

"Filipinos are very good storytellers," described Jane Cruz-Walker, HOOQ Country Manager. "There are so much more we can explore. This is an opportunity to spread your wings," she encouraged.

Apart from Direk Erik, two other judges from Indonesia have also already been announced: Mouly Surya, a critically acclaimed director who recently screened at Director's Fortnight in Cannes; and Nicholas Saputra, an award-winning actor and documentary producer. They will lead the selection process of the five pilots to be produced and the full series thereafter.

"There is incredible talent for TV series making in Asia and we want to give opportunities to film professionals to turn these amazing ideas into reality. HOOQ is built in Asia for Asia and we want to give Asian filmmakers the power to create quality entertainment that gives our customers that escape into worlds of romance, action, adventure, and even heroism, all in the setting of their backyard," pronounced Peter Bithos, Chief Executive Officer of HOOQ.

one of HOOQ's original productions

So, if you are a director, producer, or scriptwriter, take a chance to have your script selected as one of the five that will be given a funding of US$30,000 to be converted into a pilot episode that will debut on HOOQ! Submissions can be from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia. The best among the five pilots will be converted into a full series produced and aired on HOOQ. Winner will be decided by HOOQ subscribers and a star-studded judging panel consisting of top film talents around Asia and Hollywood (still to be announced). 

The HOOQ Filmmakers Guild is open for entries until August 15, 2017. Applicants must be either in film school or working as professionals in the film industry with prior film production experience. To qualify, they need to submit the script and treatment for a mini-series or a full-series with a maximum of 13 episodes for a single season. There will be no restriction to genre but submissions and productions must be in the language of the applicant's country.

Watch the trailer of this movie! I bet you'll be intrigued by the story, too!

The winning series will be part of HOOQ's new original productions including Critical Eleven and Sweet 20 which hit cinemas last month while Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts and OTJ 2 are scheduled to come out later this year.