Asia-Europe Co-Producers Navigate Funding Gaps, Eye Cautious U.S. Market at Busan Market Panel

Producers from Asia and Europe discussed funding challenges and partnership obstacles at a panel at Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market.

The “Cinematic Connection: Secrets of Successful Asia-Europe Co-Productions” panel, co-organized by Ties That Bind and European Film Promotion, brought together industry practitioners from Japan, the U.K., Indonesia and France to discuss the evolving landscape of international partnerships.

The panelists agreed that while Asia has abundant stories with global potential, the region is still quite different from Europe in funding network, co-producing, and distribution.

“Projects can hardly be financed in Indonesia,” said Yulia Evina Bhara of KawanKawan Media, citing her primary motivation for seeking international co-productions. Despite Indonesia’s rapidly expanding film market, local funding remains scarce due to high requirements for filmmakers’ international profiles and distribution power, making co-production essential for arthouse projects.

Japan’s Eiko Mizuno-Gray, chair of Loaded Films and producer of Cannes titles “Renoir” and “Plan 75,” highlighted partnership challenges closer to home after a decade in co-production. “It is difficult to find the right partner, which often costs more energy,” she said. “When we have a Japanese partner, we team with a couple of companies to make a film committee, we make a list of producers. The energy used on this is getting higher.”

Co-funding treaties have proven valuable, with Mizuno-Gray crediting agreements with Italy, China and Canada for supporting her projects. For sales and distribution, she emphasized that “choosing the right project is the principal rule.”

While streaming platforms increasingly dominate Gen-Z viewing habits, European theatrical culture remains robust, according to panelists. “France is lucky, there are a lot of arthouse films from Cannes, Berlin, and Venice getting distributed in cinemas. It is still a cinephile country,” said Jeanne Loriotti, sales executive at Paradise City Sales.

The panel concluded with discussion of North American distribution, where changing import policies have made sales representatives increasingly cautious. “The U.S. market is really important, everyone wants to have it,” said Fumie Suzuki Lancaster of the U.K.’s SC Films International Ltd. “But you must know the sales estimate before.”

Both Suzuki Lancaster and Loriotti confirmed that sales teams are proceeding with greater caution as the market landscape shifts.