Fox International Productions and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) have unveiled the five finalists for the first annual HAF/Fox Chinese Film Development Award.

The winner amongst the five finalists will receive a $12,500 (HK$100,000) cash prize and a development contract from Fox, while the other four finalists may be offered a first-look agreement.

The finalists include Close Protection by established Hong Kong filmmaker Lawrence Lau (Gimme Gimme); Coffee Sweet from up-and-coming Taiwanese talent Wang Hsi-chieh; Crazy Mother from China’s Zhu Minjiang; Diaoshuiyan Murder Case by China’s Zhang Tianhui, and Two Graves from Hong Kong short film producer Sammie Lau.  

More than 80 submissions were received from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas Chinese filmmaking communities. The finalists have been invited to present their work to the final panel of the reading committee during this year’s HAF (March 19-21).

Industry figures judging the presentations will include Angie Chai from Taiwan, Huang Jianxin from China and Manfred Wong from Hong Kong. The winner will be revealed at the HAF Awards ceremony on March 21.