Climate of creativity and co-production

As the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) concludes its fifth edition, the event has reaffirmed its role as an important platform for the creative industries on the island – and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

With an emphasis on collaboration and cultural representation, TCCF 2024 revealed three key trends that reflect Taiwan’s evolving position in the global entertainment landscape.

International cooperation is central
A prominent theme at this year’s TCCF was the increasing attention for international co-productions. Industry leaders gathered to discuss the practicalities and benefits of cross-border partnerships, both locally in Southeast Asia and much further afield. For example, Oscar-winning production company Fabula (“A Fantastic Woman”), the Chilean production house founded by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín and winner of the Venice Critics’ Week Grand Prize (“Malqueridas”), is developing “Where Is Narumi?” documentary series investigating the 2016 murder of Japanese student Kurosaki Narumi by her ex-partner Nicolás Zepeda. The project, a Chilean-French co-production with significant ties to Japan, sought financing and potential Japanese creative input.

A packed session on Latin America’s evolving audiovisual landscape highlighted potential opportunities for Taiwanese companies to collaborate with foreign producers, noting significant growth in Asian content consumption across the region. According to market studies presented, more than 60% of young people in Latin America have watched at least one K-drama series or anime in the past year, while Asian content consumption 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 for employment and trickle-down economic benefits and for soft power and national brand benefits. That recognition has led many to add or improve their soft money sources, with many of the new financial pools specifically encouraging cross-border co-production. Officials from Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan all gave presentations.

Taiwanese creators are also increasingly recognizing the importance of adapting local stories to international markets. Discussions emphasized the need for stories that resonate universally while retaining their local essence. At the opening of the event, CEO of Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), Dr. Lu Jiun Wei Variety“We already have good stories and topics from locals in Taiwan, but what we need to improve is storytelling. We want to learn the international ways of storytelling so that we can promote and push Taiwanese local content in the international market. That is why we are trying to attract more international co-production and co-financing.”

Creative freedom stimulates innovation
A notable emphasis at TCCF was the emphasis on creative freedom that Taiwan’s film industry enjoys compared to that of its close neighbors Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, which face intrusive censorship, government-imposed script approval systems or other restrictions. Filmmakers expressed their appreciation for the artistic freedoms they enjoy, which allow them to experiment with different genres and themes.

Lu discussed the creative forces of democratically governed Taiwan. “These things come from the stories here in Taiwan. We have the various topics here, such as BL [‘boys love’] and girls love. These topics are not allowed to be presented in China. We are talking to our international partners because these unique topics only exist in Taiwan,” Lu said. “This diversity of topics and the creative freedom to tell those stories would be Taiwan’s strengths.”

The lack of content-based (and corporate) regulation has helped make Taiwan, rather than mainland China or Hong Kong, the center of investment in Chinese-language content and production commissions from international companies like Netflix.1

“Freedom is our opportunity. In Taiwan, we have the creative freedom to tell and explore different stories, genres and types of stories,” said Hsiao Ya-Chuan, director of “Old Fox,” Taiwan’s entry into the 97th Academy Awards’ international feature film race. Variety. “The challenge, however, is that we have a limited domestic market. That’s why we need international markets. To appeal to a wider audience, we need to reach different continents and regions, including Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, America and many others. This allows us to conquer a larger market.”

Taiwanese actors are making waves internationally
Following the co-production and international commissioning movement, Taiwan’s leading actors are enjoying greater visibility. The TCCF event showcased their experiences of entering global markets, which while raising their profile, also bring cultural challenges and opportunities.

Speaking before a star-studded TCCF panel, local heartthrob JC Lin, fresh off a Taiwanese-French co-production completed six months ago, highlighted the cultural contrasts in communication styles. “In Taiwan, Chinese culture, we want to listen to other people before expressing our own opinions,” Lin noted. Lin also shared an insightful experience from the Taiwanese-Indian co-production “Demon Hunters,” where an Indian actor taught him how to treat religious props with proper respect. Kai Ko, another panelist, has lost his career in mainland China, where he is now banned due to a past drug offense.

Actor Wu Ke-Xi was thrilled that her contract for Constance Tsang’s Cannes debut US production ‘Blue Sun Palace’ included a clause allowing her to withdraw from intimate scenes until the day of release.

But the Taiwanese actor currently making the biggest impression is veteran Lee Kang-sheng. Known for a series of art photographs by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang, Lee was recently seen in the Chinese-language American film ‘Blue Sun Palace’ and the Taiwanese-French-Singaporean co-production ‘Stranger Eyes’, which debuted in competition in Venice and also played as the opening title of the prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival in Taiwan this week. He will next be seen in another co-production ‘Black Ox’ by Chinese author Qiu Jiongjiong.