"The Yani Tseng Story" wins the Sunny Side of the Doc prize at CCDF-15

The CNEX Chinese Doc Forum (CCDF) celebrated its 15th anniversary in Taipei this year, continuing its commitment to providing a broad platform for Chinese documentary filmmakers. For its 2024 edition, CCDF partnered with Investing for Good (IFG) to review and select 20 outstanding documentary projects from a large pool of submissions.

On this occasion, our team was delighted to award a special prize to one of the 20 projects pitched. The Yani Tseng Story (Taiwan/USA/Korea/Japan), directed by Frank W. Chen and produced by Hui-chieh Danielle Yen, won the Sunny Side of the Doc prize, which includes two market passes for Sunny Side of the Doc 2025 and a free submission.

"The Yani Tseng Story has the potential to reach international audiences. The human face of this top Asian female athlete will inspire and contribute to our collective culture surrounding sports values while addressing mental health issues. It also presents an exciting international distribution challenge, and we are delighted to embark on this journey alongside producer Hui-chieh Danielle Yen next June at Sunny Side of the Doc" says Aurélie Reman.

© Aurélie Reman handing out the SSD Prize to Hui-chieh Danielle YEN

The Yani Tseng Story depicts the professional career of world-renowned golf star Yani TSENG, covering her rise to fame, fall from grace, and her inspiring comeback to the golf course after overcoming depression and hip surgery.

Synopsis: After winning four major championships, 15 LPGA titles, and holding the world number-one ranking for 109 consecutive weeks, Yani Tseng has not won a tournament since 2013. The "Queen of Golf, Smiling Yani" lost her iconic smile and the passion in her swing. She embarked on a journey of self-discovery, using psychotherapy, physical training, hip surgery and rehabilitation, family support, and introspection to confront her past scars. "I had to accept that I might never be number one again." She regained her smile and returned to the golf course in 2024. The loneliest golf queen faced life’s twists and challenges and found new meaning in her journey.