Queer East’s Film Industry Day is the second iteration of our initiative connecting curators, programmers, filmmakers, critics, and students. Focused on queer and Asian cinema, the line-up includes talks and roundtable discussions with both international and domestic guests, offering astute industry analysis and plenty of opportunities for networking. Speakers from festivals and grassroots film collectives will share their insight into diverse modes of film exhibition, while filmmakers at the forefront of queer Asian storytelling will reflect on their experiences navigating industry challenges and opportunities.
Tickets for this event are pay-what-you-can, and will give you access to the full day of talks, roundtables, discussions, and the evening networking reception.
12:00 – 12:20 – Arrival & Registration
12:20 – 12:30 – Welcome
12:30 – 13:30 – Exes to Besties: Nigel Santos and Tin Velasco on making Open Endings
A slice of life drama exploring the messy relationships between four queer women, Open Endings smashed 2025 box office records in the Philippines. Director Nigel Santos and producer Tin Velasco join us in person for a conversation on bringing authentic and resonant stories of queer women to the big screen.
13:45 – 14:45 – From the Ground Up: Grassroots Film Collectives and Collaborative Programming
Amid an increasingly precarious film industry, community-run film clubs are thriving. Two film programmers will each discuss their work with grassroots organisations; QAMERAD, a Bali-based queer screening collective; and Radical Exhibition Collective, which centres diasporic and subaltern works in Birmingham.
Speakers: Rizky Rahad (QAMERAD), Juwairiyyah Wali (Radical Exhibition Collective)
15:00 – 16:00 – Pitching and Bitching: A Roundtable on Film Criticism
Three critics who write about Asian cinema will be in conversation about the current landscape of film criticism, from critics workshops to pitching to publications.
Speakers: Cici Peng, Maja Korbecka, Blake Simons
16:15 – 17:30 – Rewriting the Rulebook: Bringing Underseen Perspectives to Film Exhibition
If it doesn’t exist, build it! From a streaming platform dedicated to Eastern European cinema, to a free online archive of queer film, three speakers will discuss their pioneering work in championing underseen perspectives in film.
Speakers: Jaye Hudson (TGirlsonFilm), Sweatmother (Otherness Archive), Justine Waddell (Klassiki)
17:45 – 19:00 – Spotlight on Short Film Makers: A Roundtable Discussion
Short films are often treated as a mere proof of concept for a feature film, yet they are a vital art form in their own right. Five filmmakers working across narrative, documentary, and artist’s moving image will offer valuable insights into the funding, production, and distribution of short films.
Filmmakers: Darius Shu (Molly), Yarli Allison (In Petri Dish We Sing), River Yuhao Cao (The Glass Essays), Christine Seow (Two Travelling Aunties), Ting-Jui Chen (You Are Not Part of the Cake)
19:30 – 21:30 – Networking Drinks
