Japan’s ‘Agape’ Takes Top Award At BIFAN’s NAFF Project Market
Other winners included Strange Root, which picked up the CNC Award, while the NAFF Award went to Whistler from the Faroe Islands' Gudmund Helmsdal.
Japanese dark comedy Agape, from writer-directors Miyahara Takuya and Sakuma Keisuke, was presented with the Bucheon Award, the top prize at this year’s Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) Project Market during Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN).
The project, which was also selected for NHK Workshop 2025, follows a straight-laced garbage collector who accidentally kills his partner in a truck accident and dumps the body in a remote swamp. But the partner mysteriously returns, alive and unaware of what has happened.
Among other winners of cash awards in the NAFF Project Market, Strange Root, from Singapore’s Lam Li Shuen and Mark Chua, picked up the CNC Award, while the NAFF Award went to Whistler from Gudmund Helmsdal, a filmmaker based on the Faroe Islands.
The Hive Filmworks Award went to Slaughterground, from Indonesian filmmaker Sidharta Tata, which also picked up post-production support awards from Mocha Chai and Abnormal Studio. [See below for the full list of award winners.]
This year’s NAFF Project Market, which focuses on genre projects, ran for four days (July 4-7) and hosted 676 business meetings involving 65 companies from 21 countries. The Project Spotlight section, which highlights a specific country each year, highlighted Korea for the second consecutive year, providing support for K-genre films.
In addition, Focus: France, supported by France’s CNC, Unifrance and the French Embassy in Korea, joined forces with international partner programmes, including Sitges Film Festival (Fanpitch), Ventana Sur (Fantastic!) and the Nordic Genre Invasion.
The final jury for the Bucheon Award included Beyond Fest head programmer Evrim Ersoy, Lee Dongha, CEO of Redpeter Films, and Tia Hasibuan, co-founder of Indonesia’s Come and See Pictures.
Reflecting on this year’s selection, the jury said: “The calibre of the projects was incredibly high, and it was incredibly encouraging to see so many incredible filmmakers with unique and inventive ideas that truly make the future an exciting prospect. And it is further proof that NAFF Project Market is instrumental in keeping the Asian genre scene thriving, healthy and energised.”
BIFAN 2026 NAFF PROJECT MARKET AWARDS:
CASH AWARDS:
Bucheon Award: Agape, dirs: Miyahara Takuya, Sakuma Keisuke (Japan)
CNC Award: Strange Root, dirs: Lam Li Shuen, Mark Chua (Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Netherlands, Philippines)
NAFF Award: Whistler, dir: Gudmund Helmsdal (Faroe Islands)
Asian Discovery Award: My Missing Half, dir: Rodiell Veloso (Philippines, Japan)
Korean Discovery Award: Dawn Chorus, dir: Choi Lida (Korea)
Hive Filmworks Award: Slaughterground, dir: Sidharta Tata (Indonesia)
VIPO Award: Dawn Chorus, dir: Choi Lida (Korea)
POST-PRODUCTION SUPPORT AWARDS:
SBA Award:
Dangling, dir: Chang Jung-Chi (Taiwan)
Ella Arcangel: Ballad Of Tooth And Claw, dir: Mervin Malonzo (Philippines)
What The Darkness Keeps, dir: Jimmy Henderson (Cambodia, Pakistan)
Mocha Chai Award:
Slaughterground, dir: Sidharta Tata (Indonesia)
What The Darkness Keeps, dir: Jimmy Henderson (Cambodia, Pakistan)
Kantana Post Award: No Vampires In Korea, dir: Park Hyung Chul (Korea, Japan)
Abnormal Studio Award: Slaughterground, dir: Sidharta Tata (Indonesia)
Badclay VFX Innovation Award: My Missing Half, dir: Rodiell Veloso (Philippines, Japan)
SUPPORT IN KIND:
Sitges Fanpitch Award: Liar's Paradox, dir: Zaida Bergroth (Finland, France)
TCCF Award: Idols, dir: Matt Halsall (Korea, Japan, UK)
Ventana Sur Fantastic! Award: Only Rudolf Knows, dir: Lee Yoon Jung (Korea)
