Taipei’s creative market offered a brisk reminder of where tomorrow’s films and series are born. On November 7, at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, literary IP house Mirror Fiction presented the fifth edition of its biennial book‑to‑screen awards, conferring a combined NT$1.7 million on two winning manuscripts. The ceremony unfolded at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center during TCCF’s November 6 to 9 run, underscoring the fest’s growing role as a bridge between publishing and production.
The Grand Prize, worth NT$1 million, went to Jiang Huizhong for The Stand‑In Family (Chinese title: 人頭家族), a taut story of strangers who pose as kin inside a house marked by a past killing. The Jury Prize, NT$700,000, was awarded to Malaysian writer Long Xuan for Endless Rain (長命雨), set in the predominantly Chinese community of Ipoh and inspired by family lore. Both awards align with the competition’s long‑stated promise of publication and priority screen development for winners, the practical lure that turns manuscripts into market‑ready IP.
Mirror Fiction’s general manager and editor‑in‑chief, Dong Cheng‑Yu, used the podium to restate why publishing remains a reliable engine room for screen adaptation. Novels, he said, provide “a complete world and tested characters,” a foundation that often outperforms wholly original scripts in box office and television ratings. It was the sort of data‑driven pitch that producers understand, articulated in a moment when platforms everywhere are searching for stories with built‑in depth and audience.
The company’s track record helps that argument. A previous top winner, The Attorney from 8th Harbor (八尺門的辯護人), has already traveled from page to acclaimed series, collecting multiple Golden Bell trophies and demonstrating how a contest can seed premium drama. Mirror Fiction has also deepened its industrial muscle, partnering with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency to launch Mirror Entertainment in 2025, a production outfit capitalized at NT$310 million to incubate and deliver a slate of film and television projects.
This year’s awards were not an end point, more a green‑lighted beginning. Alongside the prizes, Mirror Fiction unveiled a 2027 showcase of adaptable titles, including Chen Szu‑hung’s 036037, Tan Duan’s The Midnight Masseur, Hsieh Shu‑yu’s Diplomatic Brothers and indigenous storyteller Nakao Eki Pacidal’s Red‑haired Aunty. With TCCF drawing global buyers and partners to Taipei, the message was clear. Taiwan is organizing its pipelines from page to screen with intent. The two winning manuscripts now move from applause to development rooms, where the real work of adaptation begins.
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