On the back of the increasingly influential Chinese-speaking territories, the ATF Chinese Pitch returns this year to provide scriptwriters with greater opportunities to enter these markets. This time, scripts can be submitted in Chinese or English, with English scripts translated by the organisers for judging purposes.
Backed by G.H.Y. Culture & Media, the competition seeks to encourage, promote and reward creativity, originality and innovation in two categories – theatrical and online movies, as well as online drama series.
Yeow Hui Leng, Group Project Director of ATF and ScreenSingapore commented, “As ATF celebrates our 20th anniversary, we remain committed to keeping Asia ahead of the curve and at the forefront of content creation. Winners of various pitches under ATF and ScreenSingapore have achieved success with invaluable support from our partners, and we hope to see even more stories emerge from Asia in the years ahead.”
Guo Jingyu, Group CEO, G.H.Y. Culture & Media added, “There is huge potential in young writers. In them, I see more passion and life than one can imagine. With guidance and resources, we can fully maximise their potential and grow the industry.” G.H.Y. Culture & Media’s goal to nurture the next generation of scriptwriters for leading productions is the main thrust behind its sponsorship of the ATF Chinese Pitch. With the added step of allowing English scripts, the company hopes to widen its search for great stories.
Shortlisted finalists will present their concepts at a live pitch on 4 December 2019, in front of a panel comprising well-established names – Guo Jingyu; Chen Xiao, Vice President of iQIYI; and Xiao Ji Xiang Tian, renowned screenwriter of the online drama series, “The Ferry Man” and “The Ferry Man II”.
Winners will each win USD2,500 to help kick-start their projects, and could even be offered a USD11,000 buyout of their script.
ATF and ScreenSingapore: A platform for content creation
In addition to ATF Chinese Pitch, ATF and ScreenSingapore will host three other pitches – the ATF Animation Pitch, the ATF Formats Pitch and the ATF Film Pitch.
To cater to the all-important kids’ market, the ATF Animation Pitch encourages producers to conceptualise original, creative animated programmes with edutainment value that is viable for export and development within and outside of Asia.
The winning entry will receive a USD19,000 prize from Green Gold Animation Pvt Ltd. This comprises a USD2,500 cash award and a consultancy package worth US$16,500 tailormade for them to further develop the animation, making it ready to pitch to broadcasters. Green Gold Animation is the studio behind Mighty Little Bheem, Netflix’s first Indian original animation show for kids that is currently the second most-watched original series globally within the kids’ genre.
With consultancy support from Green Gold Animation, studio2 Animation Lab (Taiwan) plans to release Pigsy, which was the winning concept for the inaugural ATF Animation Pitch in 2017, by early 2021.
Returning for its fourth edition, the ATF Formats Pitch seeks out innovative concepts for new and original non-scripted entertainment formats from Pan-Asia. This platform showcases the best of the region and exposes ideas for export and development within and outside of Asia.
Since winning the ATF Formats Pitch 2018, phoSumpro! (Malaysia) has fully developed Serenade, which is now being considered by regional and international networks.
The long-running Southeast Asian Film Financing Project Market will realise the dreams of budding filmmakers through the ATF Film Pitch. In its fifth year, the match-making platform provides opportunities for film creatives to meet with potential investors and financiers.
Success stories from past editions have already begun showing up on screens around the world. Mikhail Red’s (Philippines) Eerie made its world premiere at Singapore International Film Festival 2018, while Bront Palarae’s (Malaysia) One Two Jaga opened the 20th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.
Submissions for the ATF Chinese Pitch, ATF Animation Pitch and ATF Formats Pitch are now open until 15 August 2019 (ATF Chinese Pitch) and 20 October 2019 (ATF Animation and Formats Pitches) respectively. Call for entries for the ATF Film Pitch is now open until 1 September 2019.
About Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) 2019
Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) – the region’s leading entertainment content event – is the platform of calibre to acquire knowledge, network, buy, sell, finance, distribute and co-produce across all platforms. It is the premier stage in Asia to engage with the entertainment industry’s top players from around the world. It’s where the best minds meet and the future of Asia’s content is shaped.
ATF also offers the opportunity to discover vital trends, crucial statistics and significant foresight in TV’s digital, kids and formats arenas. Its business match-making opportunities open doors to some of the best new offerings in the region. With over 5,600 international buyers and sellers from more than 55 countries, ATF presents valuable business prospects for top of the line benefits. ATF will be celebrating its 20th edition this year.
About ScreenSingapore 2019
ScreenSingapore – Southeast Asia’s definitive marketplace for filmmakers, producers, distributors, financiers and film buyers to explore co-production opportunities, seek financing, make deals and learn about the changing film landscape.
After its continued success in 2018, ScreenSingapore will once again host the Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market, in partnership with the Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) and Ties That Bind: Asia/Europe Producers Workshop (TTB) to connect promising filmmakers and producers from Southeast Asia and Europe with international co-producing partners, festival programmers, distributors, commissioners, and financiers.
About Reed Exhibitions (RX)
Reed Exhibitions is a leading global events organiser, with more than 500 events in 30 countries. In 2018, Reed Exhibitions brought together more than 7m event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed Exhibitions’ events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 38 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of RELX, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries.
About the Singapore Media Festival (SMF)
The Singapore Media Festival, hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority, is set to become one of Asia’s leading international media events, where the industry meets to discover the latest trends, talents and content in Asia for Film, TV and digital media. Taking place from 21 November to 8 December 2019, the Singapore Media Festival brings together the newly-minted Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA) and established media events such as the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore and SMF Ignite.
