The Taiwanese project “Uncle,” directed by first-time feature filmmaker Yen Hao-hsuan, received the Tokyo Project Award at the seventh Tokyo Gap-Financing Market held in Tokyo. The film had previously won the Asian Gen-Z Award earlier in the same ceremony. The production is among 24 projects selected to participate in this year’s market.
The narrative centers on a rural Taiwanese setting during the years 1997 to 2000 and depicts a young male protagonist whose relationship with his uncle, who lives with an intellectual disability, shifts from admiration to shame as he matures and distances himself from home. Yen drew inspiration from his own 18-year experience living with his uncle. The film is produced by Patrick Mao Huang, founder of Flash Forward Entertainment and producer of the Cannes Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner “Tiger Stripes,” alongside Sung Chin-hsuan. The project previously appeared at the Busan Asian Project Market earlier in the month.
Jury member Nam Jongsuk, a programmer at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and managing director of the Network of Asian Fantastic Films, noted that the project examines societal issues and challenges prejudices without softening its subject matter. The jury expressed hopes for an “uncompromising” final product from Yen. Upon receiving the award, Yen stated he had not anticipated winning and would view the recognition as motivation to complete the film.
Two additional projects received recognition at the ceremony. “Wild Zero Overdrive,” a Japanese-Canadian co-production directed by Takeuchi Tetsuro, won the White Light Post-Production Award, which includes $25,000 in post-production services. The film serves as a sequel to Tetsuro’s 1999 cult feature and features the punk band Guitar Wolf. Brazilian feature “Nature Boy,” directed by Matias Mariani, received the Mellow Tunes Sound Design Award, providing up to $10,000 in sound design services.
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