Wave Films

Wave Films End-to-end production company prodiving production servivrs and working on Feature Films, TV Series and Commercials. Keep posted about everything Wave Films.

We have offices in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. We will release the latest information here, including infos on our films, casting calls and behind the scenes stories and photos.

Before this month ends, we’d like to share an important highlight from the Wave Fam. With all the hard work put in by ea...
31/05/2026

Before this month ends, we’d like to share an important highlight from the Wave Fam. With all the hard work put in by each of us, we found a moment to sit down, share a meal, and enjoy conversations beyond work talk. We hope to do this more often — and with everyone complete next time. Belated Happy Birthday to our dearest Dev and Monse, who grew a little older this year. Cheers to both of you, and may we continue to do great things together!!! 🖤

Jerry is heading to Cannes! Representing Wave Films and Sastra Film from May 12-16, 2026. 🇰🇭🇸🇬🇲🇾🇵🇭🇬🇧🇨🇦Message us if you ...
05/05/2026

Jerry is heading to Cannes! Representing Wave Films and Sastra Film from May 12-16, 2026. 🇰🇭🇸🇬🇲🇾🇵🇭🇬🇧🇨🇦

Message us if you are attending! 🙌🏻

Remember to give yourself credit today for all that you do! Happy Labor Day! 🙌🏻- Your Wave Films Fam
01/05/2026

Remember to give yourself credit today for all that you do! Happy Labor Day! 🙌🏻

- Your Wave Films Fam

28/04/2026

SEA cinema was never a creative problem.

Infrastructure.

That's what was missing.

Singapore has the rebates. Malaysia has the incentives. Indonesia has always had the creative firepower.

But they operated in silos.

Fauzan Zidni taking over the Indonesian Film Agency changes this.

For the first time, we're seeing someone who understands both sides. The creative output and the financial infrastructure needed to scale.

Why does this matter?

Take Singapore's structured rebate programs. Add Malaysia's production incentives. Now pair them with Indonesia's massive creative output.

You've got the foundation for a real global export hub.

I've worked with production teams across Singapore and KL for years. The talent was always there. The scripts, the directors, the crews... all world-class.

What wasn't there? The plumbing.

The institutional support to take a great Indonesian story, fund it properly through Singapore or Malaysia, and push it to international distributors.

We're past isolated regional hits.

Southeast Asia is building systems for large-scale production and global distribution.

The pieces are finally connecting.

What's your take on where SEA cinema is headed? Comment if you're watching this region too.

03/04/2026

BIG UP TO THIS CREW! 🙌🏻

Thank you to our cast, crew and all the people who supported us since Day 1! We can’t wait to show you DARK RED! 🎬

Here’s to continued success until release!

🇮🇳x🇸🇬

30/03/2026

From distribution dependence to freedom.

Janet Yang (former Academy President) said something at Hong Kong Filmart that stopped me.

Traditional distribution companies are dissolving. Independent producers own their entire value chain now. Creation straight to audience.

For us producing in Asia, this hits different.

We've been living without major distributors for over a decade. When you're making films in Singapore, Malaysia, or the Philippines, you figure out fast the traditional distribution model wasn't built for you. Domestic markets too small. International distributors not interested unless you're already proven.

Waiting for someone to discover your film means it never gets seen.

So you adapt.

You start thinking in terms of multiple domestic markets from the first script meeting, not when you're scrambling to recoup costs later. You find 2-3 co-production partners who bring real strategic value to specific territories, not 10 countries cobbled together to check funding boxes.

You build relationships with platforms directly instead of hoping a sales agent cares about your project.

Wave Films went from a solo operation in 2012 to shooting our first feature in India this year. Operations across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines now. Strategic partnerships that move the needle.

Not because we're visionaries.

We didn't have the option to wait for the old infrastructure to work in our favor.

The shift Yang describes is real.

Here's what keeps coming back to me: independent producers in smaller markets have been forced to develop the exact capabilities that are becoming essential everywhere.

Direct audience building. Multi-territory structuring. Platform economics.

We learned these things out of necessity, not strategy.

Necessity was the better teacher.

The producers succeeding now aren't the ones with the best connections to traditional distributors. They're the ones who built their own infrastructure. The ones who understand creative control and distribution control are becoming the same thing.

Like if you're building projects that don't need permission to find their audience. Comment with where you're producing from, I'm curious who else is working through this.

A Week to Remember 🇨🇦Toronto, Saskatoon, Regina, Vancouver.Before 2025 ended, we had the remarkable privilege of being i...
27/03/2026

A Week to Remember 🇨🇦

Toronto, Saskatoon, Regina, Vancouver.

Before 2025 ended, we had the remarkable privilege of being in Canada to meet producers, writers, directors, location managers, and really important people we have been working with for the past few years. ❤️

Wave Films did a preliminary recce for our sci-fi feature film that is in development. 🎬

We also met the people behind Creative Sask and Screen Sask who made our recce possible. The Regina Hotel Association graciously supported us in our stay at Hotel Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre. It was totally efficient and productive. HUGE THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT. 🙏🏻

And, more importantly, having met our lovely colleagues Monse and Terry, and working alongside them made this journey truly one for the books! 💫

To endless possibilities! 💪🏻

24/03/2026

Ignoring local cultures costs millions.

Here's what the data shows.

iQIYI quintupled paid subscribers in Indonesia. They didn't do this with global content. Chinese dramas and Indonesian originals that lean into cultural specificity did the work.

Indonesian originals command 30% of premium viewership now.
Equal to K-Dramas.

Deeply local content competing head-to-head with decades of established Korean ecosystems. And winning.

When we produce for international clients in Singapore, Malaysia, or the Philippines, there's a pattern. The ones who succeed get something the others don't: cultural specificity works as a competitive weapon, not a limitation.

Horror shows this clearly. Regional horror pulls from local folklore, spiritual traditions, fears specific to the community. You don't replicate this with budget. You need cultural knowledge, local talent relationships, community trust. Capital alone won't get you there.

The 23% growth in Indonesian paid streaming subscribers tells you something. People invest in content that mirrors their cultural identity. They're choosing local content and rejecting the culturally-neutral approach.

Productions trying to appeal to everyone end up mattering to no one. The ones committed to cultural authenticity build audiences who stick around.

iQIYI's preparing Indonesian originals for 2026. If they lean into horror and culturally-embedded genres, they'll have something competitors won't copy easily.

You license K-Dramas. You commission Western-style productions.

But deep cultural knowledge? You don't fake that.

What's your experience with this? Have you seen the "global appeal" approach backfire? Drop a comment if cultural specificity has worked in your market. I'd love to hear what you've seen. 👇

Sending you warm Raya vibes — wishing your Raya is as sweet as your ketupat! 😉💚,Wave Films fam
21/03/2026

Sending you warm Raya vibes — wishing your Raya is as sweet as your ketupat! 😉

💚,
Wave Films fam

16/03/2026

The incentive trap you don't see.

A producer reached out about shooting their film in Malaysia.

We could get them 30%.

Then they found Malta. 40% incentive.

On paper, Malta wins.

But here's what happens when you chase percentages instead of looking at real dollars: Malta's base costs run 30-40% higher than Malaysia. Sometimes more, depending on what you're shooting.

Crew rates. Equipment. Locations. Accommodation.

Everything costs more.

That 10% incentive difference? Gone.

Worse than gone, because now you're building your budget on inflated base costs. That 40% rebate gets calculated on numbers that shouldn't be that high in the first place.

And this is where it gets painful.

When your base costs spike, you don't lose money on a spreadsheet. You lose creative options on set.

Fewer shooting days because you don't have the budget for extra time. Scenes get scaled down because the original vision costs too much now. Less room to experiment, to get the shots right, to make the film what it needs to be.

Production value drops.

What ends up on screen suffers.

You chased a 40% rebate into a compromised film.

I've been producing across Southeast Asia since 2012. The hierarchy that protects your project isn't complicated:

→ Does the location serve the script creatively?
→ What are the real base costs in dollars?
→ Then, what's the incentive on top?

Incentives should be the bonus on a smart decision you already made. Not the decision itself.

A 40% rebate on the wrong location is still the wrong location. Your audience won't care about your tax credit when they're watching a film that looks cheaper than it should.

What's your take?

Like if you've seen the math fall apart on location decisions. Comment if you've watched a project chase incentives into the wrong place. Where else does this play out?

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