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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.