MPA and APSA Reopen Academy Film Fund for Asia Pacific Filmmakers
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) have launched the 2026 edition of the MPA APSA Academy Film Fund, providing five script development grants of $10,000 each to filmmakers throughout the Asia Pacific region.
The announcement was made during MPA American Film Night in Bangkok, held at the Rosewood Hotel alongside MPA Thailand Success Stories. Now in its 17th cycle, the fund is exclusively available to APSA Academy members and their creative collaborators.
Sompot Chidgasornpongse, who received a grant in 2021 through producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul, revealed the 2026 edition. The film that emerged from that grant, "9 Temples to Heaven," premiered in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar at Cannes this year.
APSA chair Tracey Vieira emphasized that the fund remains one of the organization's most significant initiatives, offering support to filmmakers that extends well beyond festival recognition. The 2026 grant recipients will be announced on October 30 at APSA's 18th awards ceremony, taking place on the Gold Coast in Australia.
BBC Reports Major Investment in Original UK Content
The BBC has released its Commissioning Report for 2025/26, revealing substantial investments in original programming across television and radio. The broadcaster invested £1.5 billion ($2.01 billion) in original TV content and £400 million ($536 million) in original radio content.
The BBC worked with 310 independent TV production companies and 269 radio production companies throughout the United Kingdom. Of its network TV commissioning spend, 59% was directed toward the Nations and English regions, with nearly 70% of TV hours qualifying as regional productions — well above the BBC's mandated 50% quota. Radio commissioning outside London reached 45.8%.
The broadcaster also exceeded its annual £80 million ($107 million) creative diversity spending target for TV and radio. Instead, £196 million ($263 million) of its existing commissioning budget was allocated to content meeting diversity criteria. Additionally, through its Diversity Development Fund, the BBC invested over £2 million ($2.6 million) to support more than 100 individuals in mid- to senior-level production roles across the UK.