The formal selection of 30 film projects for the 2025 Asian Project Market (APM) has just been made public. Notable figures from Indian cinema, such as Bollywood star Alia Bhatt and celebrated director Payal Kapadia of All We Imagine as Light fame, are among the producers who have made it to the shortlist with their projects.
After making an appearance in the 2018 Busan selection Yours Truly, actor-director Soni Razdan is now directing Difficult Daughters, which her daughter and Bollywood star Alia Bhatt is producing under her banner, Eternal Sunshine Productions. Producers Shaheen Bhatt, Alan McAlex, and Grishma Shah are also involved in the project.
All We Imagine as Light team gets a reunion of sorts with The Last of Them Plagues. The APM shortlist, which is co-produced by Malayalam actor-producer Jeo Baby and actor Kani Kusruti, a 2024 BIFF New Currents juror, and directed by up-and-coming Indian filmmaker Kunjila Mascillamani, also has Payal Kapadia on the production team. Another big association for the film happens to be Pushing Button Studios, helmed by Bollywood actors Richa Chaddha and Ali Fazal.
Indian representation at Asian Project Market 2025
Indian cinema at APM 2025 is not limited these much talked about productions helmed by Alia Bhatt and Payal Kapadia. The Magical Men by Biplob Sarkar, who returns to Busan following his BIFF 2023 New Currents selection. The film also lists Fran Borgia, Francois d′Artemare, and Sankhajit Biswas as coproducers.
Moon by Pradip Kurbah has also made the cut, bringing the filmmaker back to the Busan Film Festival, after 2020, where his Ha Lyngkha Bneng was shortlisted at the APM. The multiple National Award-winning filmmaker from Meghalaya is known for his nuanced takes and deeply cultural storytelling.
His latest, Moon is a collaborative effort between Shiven Arts, Kurbah Films, and Hello Meghalaya. Albert Mawrie, Merlvin Mukhim, Anvil Laloo, Jeetesh Sharma, and Baia Marbaniang are believed to be among the star cast of this film. Kurbah and Paulami Dutta are co-authors of the story and script of this BIFF film market selection. Moon explores the silent suffering and guilt people frequently experience on their own.
There is also Lanka (The Fire) by Saurav Rai, with producer credits for Sudeepta Sadhukhan, Viraj Selot, and Ankita Purkayastha. The SRFTI Alumni, known for his diploma film Nest having made it as the official selection at the 69th Cannes Cinefondation in 2016, is back with a psychological drama that also made it to the Hong Kong Film Financing Forum earlier this year.
The story follows 12-year-old Shiv, who is bullied because his family uses an old van to take him to school. His father, Krishna, intends to buy a new car after the old one breaks down, but he doesn't have enough money, so he resorts to drastic means. Separately, Shiv and his friend Simon are injured during a karate match, which leads to a sour rivalry between the two families that progressively turns into a psychological battle for vengeance.
Asian Project Market at Busan International Film Festival
For the uninitiated, APM, Asia's first co-production marketplace, was created to link up-and-coming filmmakers with leading figures in the global cinema business. From ambitious commercial endeavours to independent, low-budget jewels, APM presents a carefully chosen selection of feature film ideas each year, opening up important channels for filmmakers to network with international producers, distributors, and financiers.
Originally introduced as the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP) in 1998, APM has grown to become the most significant pre-market platform in Asia. Since changing its name to the Asian Project Market in 2011, it has solidified its standing as a centre for creativity and innovation.
Asian Project Market 2025
With films from across 15 countries, the 2025 selections address a variety of genres and subjects, such as gender, conflict, borders, family relationships, societal inequality, and LGBTQ+ problems. Many of the projects are in fact from directors that have a close connection to the Busan International Film Festival.
With four projects from internationally famous female directors in West Asia this year, women filmmakers are leaving a significant impression. This esteemed list includes Christine Haroutounian, the Armenian filmmaker whose first film, After Dreaming, won critical acclaim after making its debut at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year.
South Asian representation is also great at Asian Project Market 2025, with six projects, three of which are helmed by women filmmakers. This year’s selection also signifies a resurgence of Bangladeshi filmmaking in addition to highlighting the growing impact of South Asian female directors. Director Mirza Shabnam Ferdousi's Silence of the Looms is one noteworthy production that explores Bangladesh's history from a modern angle.