Animation ‘Wilderness Of The Greenriver’ wins top Golden Horse project market prize

Upcoming animated feature Wilderness Of The Greenriver scooped the NT$1m ($32,000) grand prize at Taiwan’s Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP).

At a ceremony in Taipei last night (November 19), further awards went to Tseng Chih-yuan’s The Call of The Soul: Mikati, Wei Te-sheng’s Mount Sancha and Giddens Ko’s Holy’s Home.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Wilderness Of The Greenriver marks the feature debut of Hong Kong animation director Ellis Chan Ka-yin, who is now based in Barcelona. The Hong Kong-France-Spain collaboration is set in a near future where emotions and memories are controlled. The story follows a young therapist who unexpectedly reunites with her long-lost sister, uncovering a cruel truth from their past while rekindling the powerful bond between them.

Chan previously won best animated short film with Monsoon Blue at the 60th Golden Horse Awards in 2023. He and producer Stella Ramsden were on hand to receive the grand prize from FPP’s final-stage jury comprising Singapore director Anthony Chen, Elaine Chu from Johnnie To’s production company Milkyway Image and Taiwanese producer Liu Wei-jan.

The jury unanimously awarded the top prize to Wilderness Of The Greenriver for its “exceptional artistic vision and emotional depth”. They said: “Stemming from profound personal loss, the film’s treatment of its subject is both courageous and deeply resonant, masterfully using animation to visualise the intangible. The jury commends this singular voice and its brave assertion that to remember is to love, even when memory is all that remains.”

Further cash prizes included the Taipei Golden Creativity Award, which went to Tseng Chih-yuan’s The Call Of The Soul: Mikati, while the TAICCA Original Award went to two winners: Wang Chia-chun’s The Powerpuff Boys With Their Idols and Lee Po-en’s You Shine In The Moonlight.

Giddens Ko’s Holy’s Home earned two awards, including the Dawning Jade Entertainment Film Award and Taichung Action Creative Award.

The Golden Horse FPP ran from November 17-19 during the Golden Horse Film Festival. This year’s selection showcased 64 in-development and work-in-progress film and series projects. Nearly 600 industry professionals attended the event, with 1,730 meetings from representatives of 137 investment companies recorded.

2025 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion Awards List

Grand Prize (NT1m / $32,000)

Wilderness Of The Greenriver
Dir. Ellis Chan Ka-yin
Pro. Stella Ramsden
Prodco. eddy cinema

Taipei Golden Creativity Award (NT600,000 / $19,000)

The Call Of The Soul: Mikati
Dir. Tseng Chih-yuan
Pro. Nanik Ruljadjeng
Prodco. Kingyo Productions

TAICCA Original Award (NT600,000 / $19,000)

The Powerpuff Boys With Their Idols
Dir. Wang Chia-chun
Pro. Kuo Jo-chi
Prodco. Kingyo Productions

You Shine In The Moonlight
Dir. Lee Po-en
Pros. Yang Chung-tian, Peter Chen, Ariel Wang
Prodcos. Smile Hours Entertainment., Studio76 Original Productions, Kadokawa Corporation

Hakka Creative Award (NT400,000 / $13,000)

Mount Sancha
Dir. Wei Te-sheng
Pro. Jimmy Huang
Prodco. Storyage Pictures

Judicial Creative Film Award (NT350,000 / $11,000)

Prometheus
Dir. Wang I-fan
Pros. Hsing Hsiao-wei, Yang Wan-ju, Fenda Lyn
Prodcos. 10 United Films, Greener Grass Production

MORE FUTURE Award (NT350,000 / $11,000)

Ever Falling
Dir. Paulie Huang Chih-chia
Pro. Hsieh Chun-yao
Prodco. Ööö Productions

Lotus Feet
Dir. Amanda Nell Eu
Pro. Foo Fei-ling, Patrick Mao Huang
Prodcos. Ghost Grrrl Pictures, Flash Forward Entertainment

Dawning Jade Entertainment Film Award (NT300,000 / $9,500)

Holy’s Home
Dir. Giddens Ko
Pro. Liu Yuan-hsin
Prodco. Blue Whale Pictures

MyVideo Content Power Award (NT300,000 / $9,500)

Born After
Dir. Geng Jun
Pro. Wang Zijian
Prodco. Blackfin Production, Creamfilm Production

Taichung Action Creative Award (NT300,000 / $9,500)

Holy’s Home
Dir. Giddens Ko
Pro. Liu Yuan-hsin
Prodco. Blue Whale Pictures

udnFunLife IP Award (NT300,000 / $9,500)

Soul Lantern
Dir. Danny Tseng
Pro. Fiona Hu
Prodco. D-Day Pictures

Works in Progress

Taipei New Horizon Screenplay Award (NT400,000 / $13,000)

Dangling
Dir. Chang Jung-chi
Pros. Rachel Chen, Tung Ting-an, Yu Shun-wen
Prodco. We Are Champions Films

Activator Market Potential Award (NT300,000 / $9,500 in-kind digital marketing budget)

Big Little Things
Dir. Michelle Zhou
Pros. Zhouchunyu Yu, Junjie Zhai, Clarissa Zhang
Prodcos. Snow Island Pictures, Three Dots Films

Series

Netflix Inclusive Storytelling Award (NT500,000 / $16,000)

Human And Animal Hazard Affairs Handling Agency
Dir. Sun Chieh-heng
Prodco. Unseen Film Studio

Judicial Creative Series Award (NT350,000 / $11,000)

Good Days
Pro. Holly Chan Yu-shan
Dir. Yang Chih-lin
Prodco. Neverland Entertainment

Dawning Jade Entertainment Series Award (NT300,000 / $9,500)

Taiwan Travelogue
Pros. Chang Chen-yu, Maehata Sachiko
Prodco. World Softest Productions

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