Filipino filmmaker Erik Matti is the sole Asian winner in the second edition of the Seriesmakers mentoring program for filmmakers.

With the generous project grant of €50,000 ($54,200), Erik, known for his work on 'On the Job: The Missing 8', will delve into his intriguing east-meets-west crime series, "The Squatter." To be produced by Dondon Monteverde, the project promises a thrilling narrative that spans continents.

The new eight-part thriller follows a Filipino maid and a Ukrainian detective as they solve a mystery that begins with a dead body in a small town and takes them across the globe.

Erik received the grant after he attended the Series Mania International Festival in Lille, France from March 15 to 22. 

Other winners were “George Blake” by Oscar winner Kevin MacDonald, "Sleeping Swans" by Kevin MacDonald, and “Sleeping Swans” by Barbara Albert. The organizers have announced the opening of applications for the third edition. They have mentioned that the call for admissions will begin soon.

During a recent Zoom with the entertainment press, Erik recalled how they got into the Seriesmakers program.

“Series Mania is a festival in Lille, France, na nagpapalabas ng mga series, wala silang movies. Under that festival, they started 'yung Seriesmakers. They aimed to get full-length filmmakers who could join the A-list festivals, meaning Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and even Toronto, and then asked them to pitch a project for a series," he said.

Erik added: "Kami ni Dondon, siyempre we expressed excitement. Sige, i-try namin na sumali. We were subjected to a master classon producing a series and the difference between a film and a series. Iba-iba yung mga nag-talk. Yung iba, mga taga-Game of Thrones. Yung iba from Narcos.

"While we’re doing that, we’re talking to mentors. They will guide you through creating a deck. Why was it important na i-guide kami sa deck? Kasi the final submission for you to be judged na tatlo lang yung mananalo is the deck.

"We will not be there to explain the deck, which we submitted in early or late January 2023. Nagsimula kami last year pa. Wala na kaming nabalitaan until we got a call that we won. Of the bunch, tayo lang ang Asian. Halos lahat, North American, European, Latin American," Erik also said.

But Dondon and Erik still could not tell when they could begin working on The Squatter due to several processes that need to be completed.

Dondon and Erik are business partners under Reality MM Studios which produced the acclaimed movies BuyBust and On The Job.

"It’s quite refreshing to be given a grant and to actually see that the company that gave it is really keen on pursuing the project. They are already making plans on how to get it off the ground, find the right partners and how to get the pilot of the series moving," said Erik.

He added: "Can’t wait get the pilot of the series moving! But for now, we celebrate our success, we celebrate Filipino talent."