The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market is currently serving as a crucial platform for diverse cinematic projects, including Indonesian animated feature “Garuda: Dare to Dream” and Rafael Manuel’s debut feature “Filipinana.” Both films are seeking to finalize financing, secure distribution, and build industry interest, showcasing the vibrant and evolving landscape of Southeast Asian cinema.

“Garuda: Dare to Dream,” produced by Shanty Harmayn, represents her company’s inaugural venture into animated features, aiming for an early 2026 theatrical release. The film centers on Putra, a 13-year-old boy with asthma who harbors dreams of playing for Indonesia’s national soccer team. After experiencing ridicule at the Sanca Perkasa Soccer School trials, Putra discovers a magical jersey from Gaga, a mystical Garuda spirit, which grants him extraordinary speed, power, and skill. This narrative expertly blends adventure, drama, humor, and sports action. Harmayn highlighted their presence at the Tokyo market to learn from Japan’s leading animation industry, secure gap financing, meet potential distributors, and identify festival launch opportunities. Director Ronny Gani, known for his animation work on Marvel films, shared that the film’s central theme of finding courage to pursue a dream deeply resonates with his own journey, having overcome significant access and social challenges to become a professional animator. The project has been in development for three years, a longer period due to it being their first animated feature with a new team, focusing on balancing financial scale with delivering a compelling story and high-quality animation. Barunson E&A has joined as an investor and sales agent, with plans for an Indonesian release as the primary market, while also hoping for international reach. Gani emphasized the importance of developing a unique and visually compelling identity that is both memorable and feasible within production constraints, alongside extensive research into soccer footage for authenticity and various comedy styles for humorous beats. The team is already developing follow-up projects.

Meanwhile, Rafael Manuel’s debut feature “Filipinana,” an international co-production, is in advanced post-production and also pitching at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market. The film expands on Manuel’s short of the same name, which won a Silver Bear Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. It follows Isabel, a tee-girl at Manila’s Alabang Golf & Country Club, whose routine life changes after encountering the club president, Dr. Palanca, asleep on the course. This brief connection draws her deeper into the country club’s opulent world, which Manuel describes as “a cosmos that reflects the inherent structural violence of the Philippines.” Manuel explained that while set on a Philippine golf course, the film’s core message about perpetuating oppressive systems and the hidden violence beneath superficial beauty is universally applicable. The project has taken six years to develop, with patience being a significant challenge in finding the right partners, including mentor Jia Zhangke. “Filipinana” is a complex four-country co-production involving the U.K. (Film4/Ossian), Singapore (Potocol), the Philippines (Epicmedia Productions), and France (Easy Riders), funded through a combination of national funds, rebates, investment, and presales. Producer Jeremy Chua noted the logistical complexities of a large-scale first film. Shooting presented unique hurdles, requiring filming across various golf courses around Manila due to restrictions, which production designer Tatjana Honegger ingeniously unified into a singular, absurdist architectural universe. Producer Bianca Balbuena Liew highlighted securing development and production grants from the Film Development Council of the Philippines. At Tokyo, the team is actively seeking presale opportunities from Japanese and broader Asian distributors, potential P&A partners for an Asian release, and building programmer interest for a festival tour, alongside deepening their understanding of the Japanese market and closing a small financing gap. With VFX and editing nearing completion, the film is being prepared with sales agent Magnify for a world premiere next year. Chua believes the film will offer audiences a new sound and image of Southeast Asian cinema, made with ambitious scale yet a handmade touch, designed for the big screen. Manuel is also developing several other projects, including a colonial period piece set in the Philippines.