The Film Programmers Lab is an initiative presented by Objectifs and the Asian Film Archive (AFA). Now in its second consecutive year, the lab is a 6-month developmental platform for emerging film programmers based in Singapore. The programme will consist of a series of blended-approach workshop sessions (theory and practical), closed-door consultations, and a public talk. The programme will also provide four selected participants with mentorship and a valuable support network. Selected participants will work in pairs to eventually curate and publicly present a film programme for either Objectifs’ FreshTake! or AFA’s Singapore Shorts at the end of the workshop.

The Film Programmers Lab will run from 29 March to 31 August 2025.

Applications will be assessed by Objectifs, the Asian Film Archive, and the programme’s mentor for 2025, Phoebe Pua.

About the Mentor

Phoebe Pua is an independent film programmer specializing in Southeast Asia. A recovering academic, her research has been published in journals such as Feminist Media Studies, Language in Society, and Discourse, Context, and Media. She has collaborated with arts and cultural institutions including Objectifs Centre for Film and Photography, the NUS Museum, the Singapore Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Busan. She was Mentor for the Youth Critics Program at the 2022 and 2023 Singapore International Film Festival and Editor of its inaugural post-festival publication, Atlas. Phoebe loves swapping stories with independent filmmakers and convincing audiences that the movie they’d skip is the one they’ll swear by.

Meet the Participants

Vanessa Ronald has always been deeply interested in exploring the practice of narratives and storytelling across various art forms, especially through film and performance. She graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature, where her passion for film was first ignited, sparking a developing interest in film studies. As an avid film watcher and theatregoer, she strongly believes in the importance of thoughtful curation and programming for the arts. In her free time, Vanessa can be found at the cinema, the theatre, or curled up on the couch with a good book.

Gerald Sim is a heritage professional interested in the filmic lense’s potential in capturing Southeast Asia’s fluid identities. He has a background in archaeology and anthropology. He is drawn to experimental and emerging documentary methods, which he incorporates into his professional practice. Previously, he has contributed to platforms such as Sinema.sg and ArtsEquator.

Pan Jia Qi is an aspiring writer and curator from Singapore, interested in the affect of cinema and its socio-political potential. He is currently fascinated by the sea, particularly the ways the ocean may structure our thoughts and experiences.

Presently, he runs and programs a fortnightly film club with a friend and hopes to foster more spaces for community. He loves writing about film and literature, and dabbles with the occasional short story.

EXYL is a filmmaker and educator working under the umbrella of experimental animation. They love work that is cheap. They care about being honest. They hate trying to be marketable. They love things that don’t make sense.

Their films have screened at Slamdance, SGIFF, Singapore Shorts, Encounters, Eyeworks, Fantoche, London Short FF, and more. They have been awarded residencies and fellowships with Ox-Bow School of Art, I-Park Connecticut, Dirt Palace, and the Film Studies Center Harvard.

They were a programmer for the Slamdance animation block in 2024 and a co-conspirator with Jonni Peppers in organising Transfiguration International Film Festival.