Malaysian film 'Somewhere in the South' takes $35,000 top prize in Taipei

The 2026 Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei has awarded its top feature film prize to a Malaysian project. 'Somewhere in the South' secured the $35,000 TAICCA x CNC Feature Film Grand Award on Sunday. The recognition marks a major win for the script in a competitive field of 92 projects.

The festival's pitching awards have long served as a gateway for Asian cinema to secure international funding. This year's event brought together industry attendees from 28 countries. The program evaluated submissions across film, series, animation, and documentary categories. The goal was to identify stories with strong potential for global co-production.

'Somewhere in the South' is written and directed by Tan Ce Ding. The production is led by Anthony Chen, a Singaporean filmmaker known for 'Ilo Ilo.' That earlier film won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Chen co-founded Giraffe Pictures, which is producing this new feature alongside Evil Genius Studio.

The film follows Boon, a 25-year-old man who helps his mother run a struggling temple in a neglected town in southern Malaysia. His life changes when his childhood friend JC returns for a by-election campaign. Boon serves as JC's driver and reluctantly becomes the party's tiger mascot. The theft of that mascot disrupts Boon's fragile sense of identity.

The award for 'Somewhere in the South' is supported by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency and France's National Center for Cinema. Other grand prizes went to the series 'Saga,' the animated project 'Wilderness of the Greenriver,' and the documentary 'A Day's Worth.' The event also recognized 'Reunion Dinner' with three separate honors, including the MPA Asia Pacific Grand Award.

Sue Wang, chair of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, noted that pitching teams showed clear progress. She stated that projects are connecting more strongly with international audiences. Wang highlighted that animation pitches presented clearer plans for intellectual property development. For documentaries, the agency aims to offer tailored support focused on environmental, social, and governance initiatives.

The four-day festival hosted 107 market exhibitors from seven countries and territories. Its forum included 12 sessions with more than 20 speakers. Topics covered international co-production, streaming consolidation, and artificial intelligence. The event concluded with a focus on how these trends are reshaping the global entertainment industry.