As the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) concludes its fifth edition, the event reaffirms its role as an important platform for the creative industries in Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Focusing on collaboration and cultural expression, TCCF 2024 identified three key trends that reflect Taiwan’s evolving position in the global entertainment landscape.
Focus on international cooperation
A prominent theme of this year’s TCCF was the increased focus on international co-production. Industry leaders came together to discuss the practicalities and benefits of cross-border partnerships, both within Southeast Asia and further afield. For example, Oscar-winning production company Fabra (“A Fantastic Woman”), a Chilean production company founded by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín and Venice Critics Week Award winner Tana Gilbert (“Marqueridas”), ”) is developing “Where Is”. Narumi? is a documentary series that investigates the 2016 murder of Japanese exchange student Narumi Kurosaki by her ex-partner Nicholas Zepeda. A co-production between Chile and France, which have strong ties to Japan, the project sought funding and possible creative input from Japan.
A rich session on Latin America’s evolving audiovisual landscape highlighted potential opportunities for Taiwanese companies to collaborate with overseas producers and noted the significant increase in Asian content consumption across the region. According to published market research, more than 60% of young people in Latin America have watched at least one K-drama series or anime in the past year, and content consumption in Asia has increased by 35% in the past two years .
Governments in the Southeast Asia region claim to recognize the importance of the creative economy, both in terms of employment and trickle-down economic benefits, as well as soft power and national brand benefits. This recognition has led to the addition or improvement of many soft money sources, and many of the new capital pools particularly encourage cross-border co-production. Officials from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan each gave presentations.
Taiwanese creators are also increasingly recognizing the importance of adapting local stories for the international market. Discussions emphasized the need for stories that resonate universally while retaining their local essence. Speaking at the event’s opening ceremony, Dr. Lu Jiunwei, CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), said: variety“Taiwan is already full of good stories and topics from local people, but what we need to improve is storytelling. We need to learn international ways of storytelling and bring Taiwan’s local content to the international market.” That’s why we’re trying to attract more international co-productions and co-funding.”
Creative freedom drives innovation
A notable accent at TCCF is the creative freedom that Taiwan’s film industry enjoys compared to those in neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, which endure intrusive censorship, government-mandated script approval systems, and other restrictions. It emphasized freedom. The filmmakers expressed gratitude for the artistic freedom they enjoy, which allows them to experiment with different genres and themes.
Mr. Lu spoke of the creative strengths of democratically run Taiwan. “These things come from stories here in Taiwan. We have a variety of topics such as BL [‘boys love’] And girls love it. Those topics are not allowed to be published in China. These unique topics can only be found in Taiwan, so we are talking with international partners,” Lu said. “This diversity of topics and the creative freedom to tell those stories will be a strength for Taiwan.”
The lack of content-driven (and corporate) regulation has allowed Taiwan, rather than mainland China or Hong Kong, to become a center for investment in Chinese-language content and commissioning of international content such as Netflix. 1
“Freedom is our opportunity. In Taiwan, we have the creative freedom to tell and explore different stories, genres, and types of stories,” he said of Taiwan’s entry into the 97th Academy Awards international feature race. “The Old Fox” director Xiao Yachuan said. variety. “But the challenge is that the domestic market is limited. That’s why we need an international market. To appeal to a wider audience, we need to expand to different continents and regions, including Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, America, etc. We need to reach a larger market.”
Taiwanese actor attracting international attention
Following a move towards co-productions and international commissions, the profile of Taiwan’s leading actors is increasing. The TCCF event showcased their experience in entering global markets. While this increases their visibility, it also comes with cultural challenges and opportunities.
Local favorite JC Lin, who just finished a Taiwanese-French co-production film six months ago, spoke at the star-studded TCCF panel discussion, highlighting cultural contrasts in communication styles. “In Taiwan, there is a Chinese culture where people want to hear other people’s opinions before expressing their own,” Lin said. Lin also shared an enlightening experience in which an Indian actor taught him about treating religious props with proper respect in the Taiwanese-Indian co-production “Demon Hunters.” Another panelist, Kai Ko, lost his career in mainland China and is currently suspended for past drug offences.
Actor Wu Keshi was pleased that his contract for director Constance Tsang’s American film “Blue Sun Palace,” which premiered at Cannes, included a clause that allowed him to cancel intimate scenes until the release date. .
However, the Taiwanese actor currently attracting the most attention is veteran Lee Kang-sheng. Director Lee, who is known for a series of artistic works by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang, recently appeared in the American Chinese-language film “Blue Sun Palace” and the Taiwanese-French-Singapore co-production film “Stranger Eyes.” , first released in 2016. It was screened in competition in Venice and this week was also shown as the opening title at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival. He will next appear in “Black Ox,” another collaboration with mainland Chinese author Qiu Jingzhen.
