SINGAPORE: When Michael Wang first attended the Cannes Film Festival in 2005, he moonlighted as a waiter selling drinks. This time around, he's hoping to sell carrot cake.

The filmmaker will be part of the Singapore contingent to this year's Marche du Film, the international film market component of the annual film festival in France, which runs from next Wednesday until May 25.

The Media Development Authority (MDA) is leading a delegation of six local companies and hosting Singapore Spotlight, an event at the market's Producers Network segment on May 21.

The companies are Ascension Pictures, Axxis Group, Oak3 Films, OriginAsian Pictures/Sinema, Wormwood Films, and The Vintage Film Company, Wang's two-year-old company.

Wang, whose short film "Talking in Black and White" was screened at the festival last year, is hoping to get an international distributor for his maiden full-length feature "The Carrot Cake Conversations".

"Hopefully, in doing so, I can break even or make a profit to make my next film," said Wang, 25.

The S$350,000-budget movie about four strangers bonding over a plate of carrot cake at Newton Hawker Centre stars Andrea Fonseka, Adrian Pang, Alaric Tay and Australian actress Danielle O'Malley.

Other films to be showcased at the Singapore Spotlight include "Brother No 2", a documentary about the Khmer Rouge by Oak3 Films and The Gene Generation, a sci-fi production directed by Pearry Teo under Ascension Pictures.

This will be the MDA's fifth foray into Marche du Film. Last year, it sent a delegation of 13 companies. Aside from the MDA delegation, Easternlight Film Productions will also hold separate promotions for Fann Wong's recent flick, Dance of the Dragon.

Capping off the Singapore presence at Cannes this year is Eric Khoo's new movie "My Magic", which is in the running for the festival's Palme d'Or award.

"We are proud to see our filmmakers gain recognition," said MDA's chief executive officer Christopher Chia.

Marketing films at the festival is important, said Oak3 Films' head honcho Zaihirat Banu. "Everybody's there and it's a good place to network," said Zaihirat, 35.

In 2005, the company signed a deal with two Italian companies and a French company to co-produce an 8-million-euro (S$17-million) film, "The Missing Star".

Co-delegate Wang knows all about networking. His 2005 internship programme allowed him to watch movies while working as a waiter at the Kodak Pavilion where he met Davien Littlefield, who co-produces films with Academy Award-winning American actor Philip Seymour Hoffmann ("Capote").

"She's going this year because of my film, and she has a lot of weight," said Wang. - TODAY/fa