Indonesia’s feature films have made much more of an impact in the premium space than its TV series, which for years have been dominated by long-running local low-budget mass-market soap operas. Global and domestic streaming attention changed the game.

Taiwan has taken to the international stage with its money where its mouth is and a plan that gives the creative industry national strategic importance.

When 50+ projects took to the stage in Taipei in November for Taiwan’s largest and most international pitch of its kind, the country cemented its position as a gathering place of fresh projects and unique stories, as well as a source of production partners and funding.

Independent producers in Asia have never had this much opportunity to tell their stories. But there’s still a lot standing between the current situation and celebration for indies in Malaysia & Singapore. 

When Asian movie veteran Meileen Choo revisited an idea hovering on her wish list for three decades, her retirement project became the multi-million dollar global drama series, Coolie. Janine Stein spoke to her on the eve of production, which kicks off on 4 December.

Veteran kids entertainment creator and showrunner, Sarah Haasz, talks about Gangnam Project, a deeply personal tween series she describes as “K-drama lite”, which releases in Spring 2024.  At 16, Sarah Haasz, fresh from a trip to her relatives in Korea, decided to write a book about how