Purin Film Fund Awards $155,000 to Five Projects
The Bangkok-based fund named its grant recipients for the autumn 2026 session, including works by Pham Thien An and Makbul Mubarak.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Film — General
Purin Film Fund has revealed the grant recipients for its autumn 2026 session, distributing a total of $155,000 among five selected projects. Four fiction projects receive production support and one documentary receives post-production support.
Why it matters
The fund supports independent cinema across Southeast Asia, and its awards help filmmakers in the region finance work that might otherwise struggle to attract funding. The session includes projects from directors whose earlier films have reached major international festivals.
The $155,000 total is divided among five projects, four of them fiction and one documentary. The stub does not give the amount awarded to each project individually.
The players
Purin Film Fund
A non-profit film fund based in Bangkok that supports independent cinema in Southeast Asia and is managed by filmmakers Anocha Suwichakornpong and Aditya Assarat.
Pham Thien An
A Vietnamese filmmaker whose Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Makbul Mubarak
An Indonesian filmmaker whose Autobiography premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
The details
The autumn 2026 session includes Heaven In A Wildflower by Pham Thien An, whose Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell won the Cannes Camera d'Or, and Watch It Burn by Makbul Mubarak, whose Autobiography premiered in Venice. Other fiction projects are Pray To The Thunder by Ananth Subramaniam and The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours by Sam Manacsa, while Up To The Buffalo receives post-production support.
Timeline
2017: Purin Film Fund was launched under the Purin Foundation.
Autumn 2026: Grant recipients were announced for the current session.
Regional Film Ecosystem
Purin Film Fund's autumn 2026 grants go to directors such as Pham Thien An, whose Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell won the Cannes Camera d'Or, placing the fund among the sources financing Southeast Asian films that reach major festivals. The session shows the fund backing filmmakers who have already gained international festival recognition.
The funded films are still in production or post-production, so audiences will not see them until release dates are announced. The stub does not give any release windows or festival premiere plans for the supported projects.
The takeaway
Support from regional funds like Purin helps independent filmmakers complete projects that often depend on outside financing before reaching festivals and audiences. Following the careers of supported directors can show how grants translate into finished films.
Further reading
Explore more in Film — General for context on how independent festival films get financed.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Screen.
