Calling aspiring screenwriters of Chinese films and drama series
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Taiwanese model-actress Janel Tsai at the Rising Stories media conference in Taipei on Wednesday.
PHOTO: STUDIO76
Aspiring screenwriters are in luck as home-grown broadcaster Mediacorp has teamed up with Taiwanese production house Studio76 for a Chinese script-writing competition titled Rising Stories.
The news was announced on Wednesday via a live-streamed media conference from Taipei.
Screenwriting hopefuls of all nationalities can submit their screenplays for feature-length films and drama series from Feb 1 to April 15 next year. The top five winning scripts will be announced in July.
These scripts may be adapted by Mediacorp, Studio76 or the competition's partners such as Chinese streaming platform WeTV.
The judging panel includes industry veterans such as Taiwanese model-actress Janel Tsai, fresh off a Golden Bell Award win for Best Supporting Actress in the drama Hate The Sin, Love The Sinner (2019); Taiwanese directors Chien Hsueh-pin (Do You Love Me As I Love You, 2020) and Lester Hsi (The Bridge Curse, 2020); Taiwanese screenwriters Maya Huang (Little Big Women, 2020) and Wang Li-wen (Jump Ashin!, 2011); and Tang Yeow, assistant vice-president of Chinese drama productions at Mediacorp.
Tsai, 45, says she is excited about the competition: "As an actress, you get to know a story and a screenwriter only through the script. It's very rare to be able to meet the writer in person and ask them questions, which I always have a lot of.
"I'm interested in knowing the inner world of screenwriters and whether they have a different conception of characters from me."
More details of the competition will emerge next month, with a dedicated site to be set up.
Participants can expect masterclasses and workshops to help them hone their screenwriting skills.
Mediacorp's chief content officer Doreen Neo hopes the competition will give a boost to screenwriting talents in the region.
She says in a press release: "We aim to develop the regional creative ecosystem to meet the increasing demand for engaging entertainment."
Correction note: A previous version of this story misspelt Janel Tsai's name. We are sorry for the error.
