The Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) opened its doors in early November at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center with record-breaking 600 project proposals from 50 countries, 101 exhibition booths, and over 300 international industry professionals.

The pitching competition is its biggest attraction, giving away approximately $250,000 in total awards, 35 prizes, and invitations to international exhibitions.

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is providing two prizes: the TAICCA × CNC AWARD ($30,000) and the TAICCA AWARD: Best Story (NTD$300,000). The winning teams are headed for training workshops guided by pitching experts, including Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-nominated producers and international film and television industry executives, designed to enrich their pitches and improve their chances of breaking into the global market.

We attended to cheer and listen to the projects of the Philippine delegation. In the documentary section, director-writer Joseph Mangat pitched Pony Boys, a co-production between the Philippines and Taiwan under Daluyong Studios.

Pony Boys follows the lives of young horse handlers in Baguio as they navigate adolescence while earning a living, offering a poignant coming-of-age tale set against the world of horse tourism. The film quietly tackles the enduring effects of US occupation on a local community, offering a new perspective on historical legacies and their implications.

The fun series competition had UXS Inc.’s producer Madonna Tarrayo and director Joel Ruiz sell their hilarious sex adventure episodes, Love at 310, a look at the honesty of love, sex and relationships set in a sleazy motel room. Based on true events, the series hopes to address and shed light on sexuality in the Asian region. 

For the feature pitching, The Passport is a co-production of Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and India with Bradley Liew producing for the Philippines.  

What stood out from the feature film group is Sunshower by director-writer Stefano Tai, a touching family and love story between a young Chinese American who visits his dementia-afflicted grandmother at a senior citizen facility. She mistakes him to be her boyfriend and he plays along until he discovers his own identity.

Other Filipinos pitching in the Produire Au Sud workshop are Gale Osorio, Gabriela and Marianna Serrano, Mica Oliveros, and Kristin Parreno Barrameda.

Film Development Council of the Philippines’ Marylo Christine Celis delivered the country’s film incentive programs through the International Co-production Fund (ICOF), which funds co-productions with the Philippines topped at $180,000 for features and series, with an additional $35,000 cultural bonus.

TCCF coincides with the opening of the 2024 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, a prestigious awarding-giving body for Chinese language films.

The opening film, Stranger Eyes by Yeo Siew Hua, competed at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. It was the first Singaporean-produced film to vie for the Golden Lion award. Its next stop is the Singapore International Film Festival happening next month.

The 125-minute drama film follows a couple whose child went missing. They received DVDs of unauthorized video recordings of their family bonding moments and everyday activities. A grocery worker is suspected of being a voyeur who kidnapped their child. He is followed by the child’s father and, in the end, the biggest twist of the film is revealed.

The social responsibility of surveillance comes into question in this mystery thriller starring Lee Kang-sheng and Wu Chien-ho. The film is produced using state funds and grants from Singapore, Taipei, France, and the US.

Anthony Rivera, director for commercial affairs at the Philippine Trade & Investment Center in Taipei, was present to welcome the Filipino delegates. He is working together with the FDCP for creative industry opportunities focused on film industry development, co-production, marketing and distribution for the Taiwan and ASEAN market.

Taiwan is gearing up to be the next creative destination attracting talents, buyers, and sellers to do business for the cultural content industry in the region. Their goal is to bridge the content creators with industry businesses.