Malaysian film 'Somewhere in the South' wins top prize at Taiwan Creative Content Fest

The Malaysian feature film 'Somewhere in the South,' written and directed by Tan Ce Ding and produced by Anthony Chen, won the $35,000 TAICCA × CNC Feature Film Grand Award at the 2026 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) pitching awards in Taipei, Variety reported.

The project is produced by Giraffe Pictures, a Singapore-based company co-founded by Chen, along with Evil Genius Studio. The prize is supported by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) and France's National Center for Cinema (CNC), according to Variety.

'Somewhere in the South' is set in southern Malaysia and follows a 25-year-old man named Boon, who helps run a struggling temple and becomes involved in a local political campaign, which challenges his sense of identity, Variety detailed.

Other grand award winners at the TCCF pitching awards included the series 'Saga' from BiZ Productions and Elephant Story, the animated project 'Wilderness of the Greenriver' by Eddy Cinéma, and the documentary 'A Day's Worth' from Singing Cicadas, Variety and Deadline noted.

The Taiwanese horror film 'Reunion Dinner' from Make A Deal International Production led with three awards, including the Videoland Ingenuity Award and MPA Asia Pacific Grand Award, Variety and Deadline reported.