Entries for this year’s RisingStories International Story Pitching Competition scripts open on Wednesday, 1 February. Submissions will close on 14 April 2023.

This year’s contest is open to both Chinese and English scrips from writers across Asia. 

Entries will be reviewed by separate Chinese and English-language panels. 

Taiwan’s Studio76 and Singapore’s Weiyu Films are backing this year’s contest, which runs alongside development of four scripts from last year’s inaugural event. 

The 2022 organisers were Studio76 and Mediacorp Singapore.

Mediacorp is developing two of the scripts and Studio76 is moving forward with two feature film scripts. 

The first is bank heist feature film, "Money On Fire", about a mid-life father framed and forced out of his job by a vicious supervisor. In revenge, he gathers a gang of friends, and unexpectedly joined by his 17-year-old daughter, to rob the plant. 

"Money On Fire", which was also selected for the 2022 Taiwan Golden Horse Investment Pitch Session, is currently in funding stage (40% confirmed/60% still open). 

Studio76 expects to close the investment of the US$2-million production budget by the end of Q1 2023 and aims to release the title theatrically in Q1 2024. 

Director Lester Hsi ("The Bridge Curse") is attached to "Money On Fire". 

The screenplay is by Yang Yi, Huang Chien-Chi, Lin Gern-Cheng.

The second feature film chosen by Studio76 is "Newlyweds of 40 Years", developed by Studio76 with the screenplay by Yan Hu, Hunag Sih-Hsuan and Chow Koi-Wang.

The film is about an independent workaholic who falls in love with a male nurse and, on the day of their wedding, falls and is knocked unconscious. Forty years later, she comes round. The project is seeking funding.

RisingStories 2023 supporters include Group M and b2b database Blintn.