Singapore, 18 August 2021 – Five original screenplays from writers in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau came out tops in the finals of the first-ever Rising Stories (亚洲说) Chinese scriptwriting competition. Edging out more than 500 entries received, the five winning works impressed judges in a virtual pitching session last weekend. These will be developed into productions by competition organisers Mediacorp and Taiwanese production company Studio76, as well as content partners WeTV and X Media Asia.
Launched at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest 2020, Rising Stories was conceived with the aim of scouring the pan-Asian region for original Chinese language screenplays. The competition’s judges comprised award-winning actress Janel Tsai (蔡淑臻) and esteemed film industry professionals from Taiwan such as directors Chieh Shueh-Bin (简学彬) and Lester Shih (奚岳隆), as well as screenwriters Maya Huang (黄怡玫) and Wang Li-Wen (王莉雯). Also among the panel of judges were media professionals Tang Yeow (陈耀) and Jolene Seah (谢昭如) from Mediacorp.
Spanning diverse genres such as comedy, crime and science fiction, the five winning entries are (in no particular order):
(1) 《熟悉的陌生人》by River Shih Hui (石惠) from Taiwan. The suspense thriller was praised for its clear ideas, captivating plot and strong commercial potential;
(2) 《丢你的人生》by Anastasia Tsang Hin-Ning (曾宪宁) and Tsoi So Man (蔡素文) from Hong Kong. Based on the concept of renunciation (断舍离), the poignant story won the judges’ plaudits for its heart-warming subject matter on finding one’s sense of self;
(3) 《记忆剪接师》by Lo Kim Fei (罗金翡) from Hong Kong. The only science fiction screenplay among the winning entries, Lo’s script wowed the judges for its novel treatment of the theme of editing one’s memory;
(4) 《呆丸钞急大抢案》by Yang Yi (杨易) and Huang Chien-Chi (黄建智) from Taiwan. The comedy won acclaim for its high creative value and strong reflection of the writers’ personal lives and experiences; and,
(5) 《婚姻事故》by Chao Koi Wang (周钜宏) from Macau and Wu Ching-Yan (胡锦筵) from Taiwan. Touching on dementia, the story impressed judges for its profound ability to tell a touching story of how a couple reconciles with each other with humour.
In addition to the judges’ comments, Chong Liung Man, Head of Chinese Drama Productions, Mediacorp, who also witnessed the finals of Rising Stories, commended the winning scripts for their originality and potential for the international market. He revealed that Mediacorp will select at least two of the winning works for production.
Virginia Lim, Chief Content Officer, Mediacorp, said, "We are impressed by the many amazing submissions received for the inaugural Rising Stories competition, and would like to thank everyone who participated. This underscores the wellspring of untapped creative talent in the region, and the huge potential for more fresh, compelling content to be produced for audiences. Kudos especially to the winners who shone with their great storytelling capabilities! We look forward to working with them alongside Studio76 and other content partners to bring their ideas from script to screen, and cannot wait to share them with everyone.”
Dennis Yang, CEO & Managing Partner of Studio 76, said, "The inaugural Rising Stories originated from a dream. I hope that by taking a systematic approach, we can discover brilliant storytellers from different parts of Asia, give them the opportunity to showcase their talent, and have their stories produced. I thank our joint organiser Mediacorp as well as X Media Asia and WeTV for coming together to make this dream a reality. We are delighted to have received more than 500 original screenplays from across the world. This is a testament to the abundance of original stories and screenplays and the amazing creativity of our screenwriters in Taiwan and Asia! We are excited by the fervent response we received for the first chapter of Rising Stories and are very much encouraged to plan for the second."
For more news and updates on Rising Stories, please visit https://www.facebook.com/Risingstories2020.
Media contacts
Mark Tan
Communications Specialist
Mediacorp Pte Ltd
mark.tan@mediacorp.com.sg
Sammi Pan
Studio76
sp@studio76.co
About Mediacorp
Mediacorp is Singapore’s national media network and largest content creator. Its purpose is to create engaging and trusted content, as well as to connect communities and inspire people. Mediacorp engages over three million people in Singapore daily across four languages on its digital platforms including meWATCH, meLISTEN and CNA.asia, six TV channels and 11 radio stations. Beyond Singapore, Mediacorp also has a growing international audience through CNA and content distributed across markets.
With a focus on nurturing talent and growing the sector, the company is committed to investing in nation-wide initiatives like Star Search, Anugerah, Yaar Antha Star and SPOP, commissioning a wide variety of work from local content creators, and collaborating with institutes of higher learning. As Singapore’s first local Multi-Channel Network in partnership with YouTube, Mediacorp is also committed to developing a network of digital content creators.
For advertisers, Mediacorp has partnered industry-leading brands like ESPN, Mothership, Popcorn, theAsianparent, VICE, YouTube and 99.co to form the Mediacorp Digital Network in offering more effective content-driven solutions.
Mediacorp is the recipient of industry accolades including New York Festivals, World Media Festivals, PromaxBDA (World and Asia) and Asian Academy Creative Awards.
For more information, please visit mediacorp.sg.
About Studio76
Studio76 specializes in the development and investment of original IP content, from scripts incubation, production to worldwide marketing. Based in Taiwan, we uncover stories with local themes that appeal internationally, catering to the demand for Asian content and capturing world audiences. It’s our mission to grow and develop the content creation ecosystem by investing in no less than 30 productions in various genres over a three-year period. We also aim to be choice partner for OTT/TV operators for content development and creation. Studio76 is funded by Taiwanese streaming music service KKBOX Group, the National Development Fund and Asahi Broadcast Corp’s Dream Ventures.
