The QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab, an initiative dedicated to nurturing emerging queer, trans, and nonbinary filmmakers, is launching its fourth annual edition with a significant expansion into Southeast Asia. The program will now bring together storytellers from India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and the regional diaspora.
The 2026 cohort has selected eight fiction feature projects, each centering queerness as a fundamental element of its narrative. Joining the mentorship roster are acclaimed filmmaker Isabel Sandoval, industry veteran Tricia Tuttle, and Anup Poudel, producer of the film ‘Elephants in the Fog.’
This expansion marks a pivotal moment for the lab as it continues to provide training and support to underrepresented voices in cinema across the region.
Isabel Sandoval joining the mentors is huge news. I wonder if the diaspora projects will get equal footing with regional ones?
So glad to see Southeast Asian queer voices getting this level of support. Finally some real representation!