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TRENDING
March 4, 2024
Taiwanese Appeal on Funding Changes
Taiwanese filmmakers and producers have issued a statement expressing concerns over recent changes to Taiwan’s co-production funding scheme. The government has suspended its Taiwan International Co-funding Program (TICP) in a move that appears to signal a change in direction towards more mainstream projects. By K Dass.
Taiwan - A group of over 100 Taiwanese
filmmakers and producers recently voiced their concerns regarding recent
alterations to Taiwan’s co-production funding scheme. They are advocating for
greater transparency and dialogue within the local industry.
The Taiwan
International Co-funding Program (TICP), initiated by the Taiwan Creative
Content Agency (TAICCA) in January 2021, originally provided up to 30% of a
production budget (with a cap of $300,000) for international features, TV
series, animation, and documentaries. However, after three years of operation,
the program is undergoing a strategic revision. Key changes:
Shift in
Focus: The TICP is
now reorienting its support toward more mainstream projects. This shift aims to
attract larger-scale investment opportunities and foster collaboration between
Taiwanese teams and the international community.
Increased
Investment:
Productions with Taiwanese elements will see their investment rise from 30% to
up to 49% of the production budget. Additionally, there is no longer a limit on
the amount of investment in a single case for works with a higher concentration
of Taiwanese elements.
Diverse
Titles: The program
is expanding its scope to include commercial films, documentaries, and other
types of film and television works with market potential. It’s no longer
limited to small and medium-sized non-commercial films.
Notably, the
TICP has previously supported acclaimed films such as Tiger Stripes
(which won top honours at Cannes’ Critics Week) and The Settlers (which
received the Fipresci prize at Cannes and was Chile’s Oscar submission). Other
titles backed by the program include Tomorrow Is a Long Time, For My Country,
and The Last Queen.
While these
changes aim to enhance Taiwan’s international co-production landscape, the
filmmakers’ call for transparency and dialogue underscores the importance of
involving industry stakeholders in shaping these funding initiatives.
