Chan Sze-Wei’s debut documentary, “10s Alow the Borders,” has removed the first trailer for which variety has been exclusively announced, ahead of its world premiere at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival.
The film chronicles the rise of Southeast Asian ballroom culture through the stories of three important figures: Sun from Thailand, Teddy from Malaysia, and Xyza from the Philippines. The documentary explores how these performers are building a vibrant, strange community across the border, while maintaining their connection to the Ballroom’s New York City roots.
Chan Sze-Wei became involved in the project through personal connections. When my friend Sun began developing the local ballroom community, Singapore filmmakers were invited to document the growth of the movement.
The documentary has a deep personal importance to Chan. “The movie community gave us the courage to come out as a queer person and a queer parent, and this movie community as a non-binary individual,” the director said. “We made this film to celebrate the power of ballroom activism, alliance and belonging.”
The project represents an international co-production effort spanning four countries: the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Germany. The producer team includes Allenberg Anne, whose recent credits include “Lunois” (Cannes 2025) and “A Night I Walking Feeling” (Talinn 2024), alongside Yasmin C. Rams (“Healing”) and Tan Cien (“Dream and Die”, winner of Locarno Golden Leopard).
The funding came from multiple sources, including the Singapore Film Commission, Hessian Film, the DMZ Development Fund, and Biff’s Asian Film Fund. The project also received development support through major industry platforms such as Cannes Document, Sheffield Dock Fest Meat Market and First Cut Lab.
Check out the trailer here:
