Only The Moon Knows by Chinese filmmaker Juno Hong claimed the Annual Focus award at SIFF Project, part of Shanghai International Film Festival’s industry platform.
The China-Hong Kong co-production will mark the feature directorial debut of Hong and follows a student working the night shift at a 24-hour convenience store who bonds with an elderly homeless woman.
The project also won a Regent Presents “Cinematic Escapes” Special Focus Award, worth 200,000 IHG One Rewards Points.
A total of 31 feature film projects took part in the four-day event, from June 13-16, attended by 184 local and international production, investment and distribution companies. A total of 465 meetings were held.
The Best Genre Project prize went to Murder Television, an upcoming film by Tibetan director Jigme Trinley, who debuted in 2021 with the well-received whodunit One And Four. It also won a Regent Special Focus Award.
A Room Of Her Own, the debut feature of China’s Kaia Gao, won the Best Talent Project and the FunAge “Happy Together” Award, which includes a cash prize of $22,000 (RMB150,000).
Further winners were Mum, which won Most Creative Project and a Regent Special Focus Award; Chen Jianying’s There Will Be Snow, named Best WIP Project and winner of the Inbetween Award; and Don’t Move, Mom!, which received a special jury mention.
The jury comprised actress and director Joan Chen, Chinese actress Ma Yili and Malaysian writer/director Sam Quah.
Launched in 2007, more than 120 feature projects that have taken part in SIFF Project have been completed, with around half screened at top film festivals such as Zou Jing’s A Girl Unknown, which recently premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, and Kangdrun’s Linka Linka, a best film winner at Hong Kong in April.
The genre projects category was added last year and saw a 144% increase in submissions for this edition.
SIFF Project 2026
Official Award Winners
Annual Focus: Only The Moon Knows
Best Talent Project: A Room Of Her Own
Best Genre Project: Murder Television
Most Creative Project: Mum
Best WIP Project: There Will Be Snow
Special Jury Mention: Don’t Move, Mom!
Official Partner Award Winners
Phenom Films Award
Ragtag
Wintertime In A Small Town
Mofei Pictures Creative Sound’s Choice
Grow Up
Aputure Award
Vestiges
INBETWEEN Award
Outside The Room Of My Own
A Thousand Stars In The Galactic Night
There Will Be Snow
China Film Award
Shortcut To Life
Regent Presents “Cinematic Escapes” Special Focus Award
Murder Television
Only The Moon Knows
Mum
Damai Entertainment Hina Award
This Timeworn Land
FunAge “Happy Together” Award
A Room Of Her Own
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