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Asian Co-Productions Grapple with Financing Woes and Shifting Policies
29 Oct
Summary
- Asian co-productions struggle with cash flow financing, unlike Europe and US
- Producers resort to unorthodox methods like loans from individuals to fund projects
- Frequent policy changes by national film bodies complicate long-term planning
As of October 29th, 2025, the creative team behind the Tokyo International Film Festival competition title "Morte Cucina" has shed light on the complex challenges facing film co-productions in Asia. Speaking at a seminar at TIFFCOM, the festival's market arm, the team discussed the difficulties in balancing the requirements of film funds from the five countries involved - Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, France, and Luxembourg.
The producers explained that the lack of cash flow facilities in Asia, unlike Europe or the United States, has forced them to resort to unorthodox methods to finance the $1.3 million production. This includes taking loans from wealthy individuals and offering premiums to investors who transfer funds upfront.
Beyond operational issues, the panelists also highlighted the structural hurdles in Asian co-productions, such as the frequent and unpredictable changes in the policies and leadership of national film bodies. This, they said, complicates long-term planning and makes it harder for co-producers to understand the rules in each country.
Despite these challenges, the team behind "Morte Cucina" managed to navigate the complex web of co-production requirements, with Singapore's IMDA requiring the production to hire 10 local "media talents" and Luxembourg taking charge of sound mixing, while VFX, foley, and color grading were handled in Taiwan.
