‘Brilliant Melody’ Takes Top Award At BIFAN’s NAFF Project Market

Brilliant Melody from the Philippines’ Carlo Francisco Manatad scooped the top Bucheon Award, worth KRW10m ($7,300), at the close of the NAFF Project Market (July 5-8) at this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN).

Produced by Chad Angelic Cabigon and Yulia Evina Bhara of Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media, the Philippines-France-Indonesia co-production follows a group of karaoke-loving Filipinos who fly to Paris to join a prestigious choir contest. The project also won the JPY500,000 ($3,500) VIPO Award.

Don’t Worry About Vampires, from Taiwan’s Chen Ho-yu, won the CNC Award of Euros5,000. The project is set in a world where humans and vampires have signed a peace treaty. Chen previously worked on HBO Asia’s Chinese-language series, The Teenage Psychic.

The NAFF Award of KRW5m ($3,600) was presented to Spanish horror Triangle, directed by Joseph Diaz and produced by Coque Serrano, which was selected for NAFF through its partnership with Ventana Sur’s Blood Window. (See below for the full list of winning projects).

BIFAN kicked off on July 3, 2025 in Bucheon, South Korea, and runs until July 13. 

BIFAN 2025 NAFF PROJECT MARKET AWARDS:

Bucheon Award (Grand Prize) KRW10m: Brilliant Melody, dir: Carlo Francisco Manatad (Philippines, France, Indonesia)

CNC Award (Euros5,000): Don’t Worry About Vampires, dir: Chen Ho-yu (Taiwan)

NAFF Award (KRW5m): Triangle, dir: Joseph Diaz (Spain)

Asian Discovery Award (KRW5m): Wash Away, dir: Takuya Miyahara (Japan)

Korean Discovery Award (KRW5m): Vairocana: Three Tales, dir: Chung Huibin (Korea)

NAFF Korean Award (KRW5m): Lynx, dir: Ha Myungmi (Korea)

DHL Award (KRW5m): Koko, dir: Hanna Vastinsalo (Finland, US)

VIPO Award (JPY500,000): Brilliant Melody, dir: Carlo Francisco Manatad (Philippines, France, Indonesia)

SBA Award Post Production Support Award:
Brunch For A Depressed Zombie, dir: Kim Eunyoung (Korea)
The Second Child, dir: Yu Eunjeong (Korea)

Mocha Chai Award:
Fuxi: Joy In The Four Chapters, dir: Qiu Jiongjiong (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, France)
Lovely Ugly Your Friend, dir: Yuka Yasukawa (Japan),

Kantana Post Award: Under, dirs: Son Ho-seung, Ahn Jeong-min (Korea)

Kantana Sound Award: Tunda, dir: Lee Yong-seuk (Korea)

Abnormal Studios Award: Unhearable, dir: Stanley Wong (Hong Kong)

Abnormal Studios Award for Post, Marketing & Distribution: Inheritance, dir: Joel Soh (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia)