5 Full Circle Lab films in production in 2026

TATINO is proud to spotlight five projects developed within its Full Circle Lab program — all currently in production. Full Circle Lab is an international capacity-building training program designed by TATINO to support the writing, development and post-production of feature films with a strong connection to a given film industry or region. Tailor-made for each territory, the lab has taken root in multiple parts of the world — from the Philippines to Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Hessen — welcoming both emerging and experienced filmmakers, local and international. Each edition relies on the local cinema ecosystem of festivals, initiatives and residencies, fostering synergies with filmmakers and producers active in the region, and takes the form of residential and online workshops.

This lab is one of a kind — and so are the stories.

A mermaid dying in a pet shop, a family forced together by a father's coma on the eve of the first openly celebrated Chinese New Year in decades, a game show host's joy curdling into horror as his mother transforms by night, a suppressed woman breaking free behind a monster mask, an exile joining a bomb disposal unit to face the buried trauma of war.

Coming from France, Hungary, Indonesia, The Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand, discover the 5 Full Circle Lab projects currently in production:

Daughters of the Sea

Directors: Martika Ramirez Escobar

Producers: Monster Jimenez, Rajiv Idnani, Alba Sotorra, Anna Mariss Guro

Production: This Side Up Manila, Oceanika

Philippines, Spain

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2023

Three lives intertwine like kindred beings from the same soil. Lucia, a curious tour guide who unknowingly meets her father for the first time, lives vicariously through two people - a pet shop owner who tries to keep a dying mermaid alive and a child whose long missing mother reappears from the ocean.

First Breath After Coma

Director: Jason Iskandar

Producer: Florence Giovanni

Production: Studio Antelope

Indonesia

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2022

When their father falls into a coma, three estranged Chinese-Indonesian siblings are forced to reconnect as their family navigates the years leading to the first openly celebrated Chinese New Year in decades.

Mother Maybe

Director: Sonny Calvento

Producer: Sheron Dayoc

Production: Southern Lantern Studios, E&W Films, Waning Crescent Arts, Terminal Six Post, Volos Films Ltd

Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2022

A son is reunited with his mother in Tokyo as he joins a high-stakes Japanese game show, but his joy turns into horror as he discovers that at night, his mother becomes different.

My Mother the Monster

Director: Olivér Rudolf

Producer: Genoveva Petrovits

Production: Kino Alfa, Proton Cinema, Filmpartners, VraiVrai Films

Hungary, France

Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine 2023

A middle-aged woman, long suppressing her anger and desires, finally breaks free behind a terrifying monster mask, unleashing a rebellion against her life and the world around her.

Rhizome

Director: Jakrawal Nilthamrong

Producer: Chatchai Chaiyon

Production: Mit Out Sound Films, Damned Films, M’Go Films, Lao Art Media 

Thailand, France, Singapore, Laos

Full Circle Lab Philippines 2024

In war-scarred Laos, a returning exile joins a bomb disposal unit to face her past, finding a profound bond with its enigmatic leader amidst the buried trauma of war.