QueerFrames Lab Expands Into Southeast Asia With Eight New Features
Eight writers. Eight features. One lab stretching across two regions.
The QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab is expanding into Southeast Asia for its fourth annual edition, with eight fiction feature projects that put queerness at the centre of each story, according to Variety.
The selected filmmakers are Alec Berame, Joshua Caesar Medroso, Saurav Mahind, Sanju Kadu, Minh-Anh Vo Dinh, Megan Teo, Kurnia Alexander and Rachel Leyco. Together they bring storytellers from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and the diaspora into one cohort.
The programme, essentially a development workshop where writers test and rewrite scripts with experienced guides, opens with an in-person retreat in Hua Hin, Thailand, running Sept. 23 to Oct. 2. That is followed by an Industry Day in Bangkok on Oct. 3, held with the French Embassy in Thailand, Alliance Française Bangkok and the French Regional Audiovisual Cooperation, before virtual sessions continue through March 2027, according to Variety.
Backing for this edition comes from Netflix and the French Institute in India, with additional support from the Purin Film Fund in Thailand and Momo Film Co in Singapore. The mix links a global streamer, cultural bodies and two regional film companies known for supporting independent production.
Mentors for the 2026 group include Anup Poudel, Tricia Tuttle, Isabel Sandoval, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Gazal Dhaliwal and Tan Si En. Vishnu Sinha and Paromita Dhar return as lab instructors, with Rafiul Alom Rahman serving as director of the lab.
The projects span romance, horror and sport. Berame's Hisap Sebatang Before Ciao! (Each/Other) follows a Filipino diplomat caught in a geopolitical crisis while hiding a romance with his Malaysian counterpart. Vo Dinh's Anglerfish centres on two men whose seaside getaway is upended by a stranger and grisly deaths. Teo's Pack follows a closeted professional boxer who turns to underground pit-fighting in order to transition, according to Variety.
QueerFrames launched in 2023 and has worked with 22 queer and trans filmmakers since its founding. It supports emerging queer writers and writer-directors from South and Southeast Asia and their diasporas with mentorship and creative resources.
What makes this stand out is the geography. By joining South and Southeast Asia in a single slate, the lab gives eight early-career voices months of writing time, professional contacts and a public industry showcase.
