This year’s CCDF and IFG (Investing for Good) open call received an enthusiastic response from creators worldwide, with a total of 160 submissions. Following thorough deliberation by five industry professionals, and with additional selections from the New Taipei City Documentary Award, In Moments Film Festival, Fresh Pitch, TAICCA’s TCCF, and Doc Edge from New Zealand, 20 creative teams have been selected to participate in this year’s international pitching forum.
The selected projects explore a wide range of contemporary social and personal issues. From absurd yet all-too-real sham weddings that reveal the tensions between gender norms and family negotiations, to a blind martial arts champion navigating the weight of his gangster heritage in pursuit of personal freedom, these stories reflect individual struggles for identity and autonomy. Other projects examine the gap between borderlands and urban centers, the trauma and resilience of telecom fraud survivors, and moments of spiritual confrontation amid extreme mountain climbs—all offering insight into the emotional and physical landscapes shaped by our times.
Several projects also explore artistic introspection, the uncovering of long-buried family secrets, and ethnographic storytelling from marginalised women’s communities, illuminating the intersections of identity, history, and silence. Confronting ecological collapse and issues of animal welfare, many filmmakers direct their lenses towards the fragility of coexistence between humanity and nature—preserving voices that might otherwise remain unheard.
These 20 teams will take part in a series of online and in-person workshops from July to September, culminating in the CCDF-16 from September 26 to 28. There, they will showcase their projects to global buyers, festival programmers, funders, and industry decision-makers, aiming to secure international co-production, financing, and distribution opportunities.
Now in its 16th edition, CCDF continues its mission to support honest and socially engaged documentary storytelling while amplifying voices from the Chinese-speaking world. These real-life, deeply rooted stories could become the next works that resonate across borders and inspire audiences worldwide.
*CCDF-16 / IFG-5 Collaborative Invitation Projects:
New Taipei City Documentary Award Selection:
A Place She Called Home
In the Prison Cell, Giving a Peace Sign
Thunder & Rosy Clouds
Fresh Pitch Selection: The Skater Girl
In Moments Film Festival Selection: Ma, Let’s Fly
TCCF Selection: The Myth
Doc Edge Selection: TBC
*This order is based on the stroke count of the first character of the original proposal’s title.
| Title | CCDF/IFG | Director | Producer | Area | |
| 1 | FIGHTING for the Algal Reefs | CCDF | 陳小樺 | 黃郁茹 | Taiwan |
| 2 | Three Weddings, Three Pilgrimages | CCDF / IFG | 扎西青朋 | Lobsang Sumbha | China |
| 3 | Tzusy: A Journey Through Ballet | CCDF | 楊偉新 | 林新芮 | Taiwan, UK |
| 4 | Goodbye, My Childhood | CCDF / IFG | 俞金君 | 俞金君 | China |
| 5 | All Fixed Up (working title) | CCDF / IFG | Hao Zhou | Jenny Wu Man | China, U.S. |
| 6 | By Way of Sky and Haven | CCDF | 張懷安 | 黃郁茹 | Taiwan |
| 7 | Johnny Tiger | CCDF | Ian Kenji Barbour, Johnny Tai | Hannah Donegan & Marc Serpa Francoeur | Canada |
| 8 | Back on North Face | CCDF | 王一訢 | 沈騏 | Taiwan |
| 9 | Wanderer of the Nanyang | CCDF / IFG | 王秀岳 | 王秀岳 | China, Cambodia |
| 10 | Hit the Road | CCDF | 王君茹、鄭石多 | 籃沛雯 | China |
| 11 | Wild Road | CCDF | 陳巧薇 | 曹盛彥 | Taiwan |
| 12 | Midnight Pretenders | IFG | 鐘楠 | 陳瀟然 | China |
| 13 | Along the Way | IFG | 張照、浦瀟月 | 潘志永 | China |
| 14 | A Place She Called Home New Taipei City Documentary Award Selection |
CCDF | 陳宏⼀ | ⽅柏⼈ | Taiwan |
| 15 | The Tree Behind the Zigzag Sign New Taipei City Documentary Award Selection |
CCDF | 王樂行 | 任硯聰、陳巧真、馬曼容 | Hong Kong, Taiwan |
| 16 | Thunder & Rosy Clouds New Taipei City Documentary Award Selection |
CCDF | 傅逸佳 | 黃令華 | Taiwan |
| 17 | The Skater Girl Fresh Pitch Selection |
CCDF | 陳莉莉 | 郭靜 | China |
| 18 | Ma, Let’s Fly Together In Moments Film Festival Selection |
CCDF | Yash Zhang | Camilla Hall | China, UK |
| 19 | The Myth TCCF Selection |
CCDF | 許哲嘉 | 趙佳 | Taiwan |
| 20 | TBC Doc Edge Selection |
