Singapore’s Weiyu Films has joined forces with Studio76 from Taiwan to expand the RisingStories screenwriting competition.
Studio76 launched the first RisingStories International Story Pitching Competition in 2021 and attracted more than 550 Chinese-language entries from the region. As it grows, the event is being opened to English-language scripts as well.
The 2023 round is targeted at media professionals seeking to develop their ideas into either feature films or episodic television series for the global market.
Studio76 specializes in the development and investment of original IP content, from script incubation, production to worldwide marketing. Until now its focus has been on local themes that appeal internationally. Its latest streaming movie “You Have To Kill Me” which is exclusively available on Disney+ in Taiwan and Hong Kong and exclusively on Youku in China, was a prize winner at the 2022 ContentAsia Awards and the recent Asian Academy Creative Awards and received nominations for Taiwan’s Golden Bell TV Awards.
Weiyu has attracted recent attention for “This Land Is Mine,” which was named best drama series at the ContentAsia Awards, and was shortlisted for best drama at the Rose d’Or Awards. Weiyu now has an IP library of over 200 hours.
The two companies held a signing ceremony on Wednesday at the Asia TV Forum to mark their new partnership. TAICCA CEO Lee Izero was a notable guest at the event.
“There is such a strong need for good storytelling these days, and with intense competition from the streamers, I think RisingStories will give such a wonderful platform for Asian screenwriters to learn from the best in the industry for their talents to be discovered,” said the Singapore IMDA’s Justin Ang, who also attended.
“RisingStories 2023 represents a unique coproduction opportunity. Together with Studio 76 as well as other partners from Taiwan and South Korea, we are going to be focused on bringing the next generation of original stories to the global content market. This edition will also be open to submissions in English. And as producers of English-language content we’re excited to welcome a broader range of great stories that can resonate with audiences around the world,”said Lee Thean-jeen, MD of Weiyu Films.
