“Somewhere in the South” Wins $35,000; “Reunion Dinner” Wins Three

By Marcus Bennett

“Somewhere in the South” won the $35,000 TAICCA × CNC Feature Film Grand Award at the 2026 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) pitching awards in Taipei.

Tan Ce Ding wrote and directed the Malaysian feature. Giraffe Pictures, the Singapore-based company Anthony Chen co-founded, and Evil Genius Studio produced it. Chen directed “Ilo Ilo,” the Cannes Caméra d’Or winner. France’s National Center for Cinema and TAICCA backed the prize; TAICCA organizes TCCF.

The other Grand Awards

The other three Grand Awards recognized one series, one animated project and one documentary.

• TAICCA Series Grand Award: “Saga,” from BiZ Productions and Elephant Story.
• TAICCA × Weta FX Animation Grand Award: “Wilderness of the Greenriver,” from Eddy Cinéma.
• TAICCA Documentary Grand Award: “A Day’s Worth,” from Singing Cicadas.

A stolen tiger mascot unsettles Boon

The Malaysian feature follows 25-year-old Boon in a forgotten town in southern Malaysia, where he helps his mother run their struggling temple.

A by-election brings his charismatic childhood friend JC back to town to lead a campaign, and Boon is hired as JC’s driver and reluctantly becomes the party’s tiger mascot.

The theft of the mascot throws Boon’s fragile sense of identity into question.

What does TAICCA’s progress mean for co-production?

TAICCA chair Sue Wang said the agency had seen progress among the pitching teams and that their projects now resonated more strongly internationally.

“They are ready to pursue co-productions with international partners, and both Taiwanese and overseas teams are approaching these collaborations with a strong sense of ambition,” Wang said.

Wang said animation pitches showed a clearer, more precise vision for IP and a broader sense of how it could develop.

“For documentaries, TAICCA hopes to develop more tailored support. Cultural ESG [environmental, social and governance] can be a good entry point, and we are seeing writers and pitching teams think more commercially,” Wang said.

For pitching teams, the practical opportunities are international co-productions, more precise animation IP and tailored documentary support through Cultural ESG.

Three wins and seven double wins

“Reunion Dinner,” from Make A Deal International Production, led the awards with three wins: the Videoland Ingenuity Award, the MPA Asia Pacific Grand Award and the NAFF Award.

The NAFF honor came from the Network of Asian Fantastic Films project market at South Korea’s Bucheon festival.

Seven other projects won two awards each:

• “Saving Tuvalu” — Media Stockade and Filmtank: Hakka Public Communication Foundation Confluence Award; Taiwan Mobile: Content Power Award.
• “Turns Out It’s Not BL But BFF” — Critical Hits Production: 2026 TCCF MyPick Project Award; Kaohsiung Film Archive’s KFA Original Award.
• “Romance in Hell” — Mirror Entertainment: Hami Video Creativity Award; udnFunLife IP Potential Award.
• “Sunlight Delivery” — Model Universe: Blintn Next Hit Award; EBC Original IP Potential Award.
• “The 16th Night Kitchen” — Seika Works: Mediacorp Award; TVBS Storytelling Impact Grand Award.
• “Parachute Kids” — Walking Iris Media and Your Sister Films: Doc Edge Award; Mega Bank C&E Foundation Best ESG Award.
• “The Three Witches of Shetou” — Mirror Fiction: TAICCA Award: Best Story; friDay Video Original Story Award.

Mirror Fiction sales director Sharleen Liu thanked author Chen Si-hong for creating “The Three Witches of Shetou.”

Liu said: “On the surface, it is absurd and funny, but underneath it explores loss and pain, asking how we keep living after losing so much. Even when life feels as absurd as a disaster, we can still live with gusto. We hope this distinctive Taiwanese story can reach audiences around the world.”

The wider list

Other project awards included:

• NMEA Award: “Ghost Month” — Rivenoak Media, Reno Studios and Lusasa Animation.
• PHAH Chiayi – Chiayi Story Development Award: “My Cringe Love Notebook” — Yoosonn Entertainment and CJ ENM.
• THSR Beautiful Journey Award: “Time in a Bottle” — Happy Makers.
• Commercial Content Creation Talent Program: Zou Wan-zhen.
• Udine Focus Asia Award: “Honey Milk” — ENLA Media and Stories We Tell.
• First Bank Award: “Leaf and Tree” — Mirror Entertainment.
• Taiwan Original Animation Highlight Award: “Operation Maomao” — Shaogao and Brilliant Animation Studios.
• Docs by the Sea Award: “Firstborn Daughter, Firstborn Son” — Moon Heart Films and Hydroblast.

The story and publishing awards included:

• Taipei International Film Award: “The Defense Attorney: Miss Umeko” — udn.com.
• Formosa TV Award: “Alpha Scorpii in Summer: Tadao Kano’s Experience Growing Up in Taiwan” — Liu Ka-shiang and Taiwan Interminds Publishing.
• Gala Pictures Best IP Award: “Ghost Map” — Millionstar Entertainment and Delight Press.
• SET TV Next Star Award: “Female General, Formation” — Cai Yi Color Paper Products.
• 2026 TCCF MyPick Story Award: “Gangster Mei’s Diner” — Ami and Loosiong.

The scale of the pitching program

The 2026 TCCF Pitching slate contained 92 project and story pitches across film, series, animation, documentaries, publishing and comics. Industry participants from 28 countries attended.

The wider TCCF program included 107 Market exhibitors from seven countries and territories. Its four-day Forum held 12 sessions with more than 20 speakers, discussing international co-production, streaming-platform consolidation, IP, short-form content and AI.

The next test for the 92 pitches is whether the international interest Wang described becomes actual co-productions, a route both Taiwanese and overseas teams now appear ready to pursue.