Ties That Bind (TTB) is a project-based yearly training programme featuring 2 workshops taking place in Italy in the framework of the Udine Far East Film Festival, and in Singapore during the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Forum. TTB is targeted at 10 European and Asian producers with projects, plus 5 European professionals interested in working with Asia (sales agents, financiers, distributors, festival programmers, co-production market representatives). TTB reinforces in-depth economic and artistic co-operation between European and Asian countries and facilitates the access of European professionals and their audiovisual works to the booming Asian market. It provides European producers with the necessary skills, knowledge and network to find suitable Asian co-producers and financing, to co-produce with Asia and ultimately to open up new markets and distribution circuits for their works. The participants of Ties That Bind are offered high-level professional development as well as in depth consultancy and project development by top-notch experts from both continents. The workshop is led by two group leaders (one European, one Asian) in order to offer a deep and comprehensive knowledge of the two film industries and markets. The participants have the opportunity to pitch their projects to leading Asian and European decision makers at both sessions including the Southeast Asian Film Financing Forum (SAFF), a new project market set during the Singapore Media Festival. Ties that Bind has developed the first generation of independent producers in several Asian territories and in a mid-long term perspective this will offer to future European projects the opportunity to take advantage of a network of potential co-producers aware of the co-financing opportunities, legal aspects of co-production, and therefore ready to work on an international scale. Over the last years TTB has achieved great results in terms of successful co-productions initiated thanks our platform. Amongst the most recent titles selected and awarded at A international festivals: DOG DAYS (Panorama section of the Belrinale 2016), BIG FATHER, SMALL FATHER AND OTHER STORIES (Competition section of the Berlinale 2015), CHI - MR. ZHANG BELIEVES (Signs of Live section of the Festival del Film Locarno 2015), BLACK STONE (Spectrum Premiere of the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2015), and FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival Critics’ Week 2014) Ties That Bind is organised by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund, EAVE, Udine Far East Film Festival and the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA), and supported by the Creative Europe - MEDIA sub-programme of the European Union and ScreenSingapore.