The Executive Yuan’s Government Information Office (GIO) has designated the two-week period between November 4 and November 17 as the 2005 Taiwan International Film & TV Expo (TIFTE). The expo integrates the Golden Horse Awards for film, the Golden Bell Awards for television programming, the Taipei TV and Film Festival, and the 2005 Taiwan Film and Television Project Promotion. The TIFTE, which is aimed at promoting TV and film, as well as integration within the industries, will combine the resources of the public and private sectors. Participating organizations hope to harness the energy of these sectors, helping to raise their international competitiveness.
The GIO noted that the government has devoted considerable effort to nurturing the film and TV industries in Taiwan. The government has included the film and TV sectors as part of the “Challenge 2008 – National Development Plan.” In addition, it has designated the digital content industry and the cultural creative industry as important focal points for development. The government is hoping to establish a film investment and financing mechanism to support the industry, carry out film and TV expos and festivals to foster markets for the products created by these industries, and seek to create synergy among industry participants and experts. These efforts will seek to increase the production value of the industry and attract domestic and foreign buyers for the products produced in Taiwan. This will also proclaim to the world that Taiwan places great value on the creative content industries.
The TIFTE 2005 is taking for its theme this year the Chinese word “fa” and the English word “fantabulous.” To present its highly effective, powerful, and multi-directional vision, the GIO has adopted five slogans for the goals of the TIFTE to echo this theme and reflect the image of Taiwan’s developing film and television industry. In Chinese, these make use of this character “fa”: “discover the new charms of Taiwan film and television,” “enable Taiwan’s voice to be heard throughout the world,” “carve out a niche for the film and television industries,” “spur new momentum for the integrated film and television industries,” and “turn the film and television industries into a combined brilliance.”
The TIFTE 2005 will kick off with the 2005 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. The International Digital Shorts Competition and Golden Horse Awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the main program of the 42nd Golden Horse Awards festival. This year, for the first time, the awards ceremony will be held in Keelung City in order to foster a closer relationship with residents of that city.
The Golden Horse Awards mark an important event for persons in the film industry in Chinese-speaking regions, and are closely followed by people in Taiwan, Hong Kong and in other overseas Chinese communities. The chairpersons of the
Tokyo International Film Festival and Pusan International Film Festival will also be in attendance. The Golden Horse Awards have a long history of fair screening and judging, and have thus garnered a high degree of credibility in the Chinese-language world. The awards are aired in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, England, the United States, and Canada, and are one of the annual cultural highlights of the Chinese-speaking world.
The Golden Bell Awards this year mark their 40th anniversary. The awards include the Little Golden Bell awards ceremony, Radio Golden Bell awards ceremony, and Television Golden Bell awards ceremony. The organizers this year have decided to introduce Radio and Television Little Golden Bell awards in an effort to encourage quality programming for youngsters. Hoping to boost international recognition for the awards, the Golden Bell Awards organizing committee has invited a number of important local and foreign guests and heavyweights in the industry to take part in the awards ceremony. These include renowned Korean artist Bae Yong Jun.
The 2005 Taipei TV and Film Festival includes the Taipei International Digital Broadcasting and Television Summit Forum; Taipei International TV, Film and Digital Contents Exhibition; International Showcase, and Ad Theme Party. Local and overseas companies will participate in the festival, providing an opportunity for exchange of experiences and information among people associated with the world’s top television stations and production companies, creating any number of business opportunities.
This year, the Taipei TV and Film Festival has invited the president of Softbank Japan, Mr. Cheng Yi-sun, to deliver a speech focusing on successful business models in the digital age. This is just one highlight of this unique international event. The Taipei International Digital Broadcasting & Film Summit Forum will be held on November 10th and 11th, hosting scholars and experts from Taiwan, the United States, Japan, Korea, Finland, China, Singapore, and Italy. Participants will discuss new trends in digital content, developments in digital broadcasting equipment, digital programming and innovative services, and digital film technologies. The Taipei International TV, Film and Digital Contents Exhibition will be held from November 11th to 13th at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 3. The exhibition will bring together mass media content providers, telecommunications and network providers, and information industry representatives, enabling interaction on content, platforms, and technology. The exhibition aims to achieve a new vision and new business opportunities in the sector.
The 2005 Taiwan Film and Television Project Promotion includes two major activities – the Venture Capital Seminar and Film and TV Production Project Public Announcements. The Venture Capital Seminar will focus on the theme “From the development of ideas and the structure of investment and financing, to international film and TV marketing.” Based on their experiences, participants will discuss the best means for Taiwan’s film and TV industries to create business opportunities. It is expected that a number of well-known international experts who have successfully raised funding for film and TV projects as well as persons with sales and marketing experience will take part. These include Barrie Osborne, producer of The Lord of the Rings; Bill Kong, producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers, who was named as one of the world’s Top 10 producers in Time Magazine’s 2005 Asia’s Heroes; and Hong Kong director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, who was responsible for bringing back action films to Hong Kong, such as Infernal Affairs and Initial D. Meanwhile, the public announcements activity will look to bring together interested production companies, agencies, venture capital firms and financial institutions for film and TV projects that are considered to have high potential. This event is not only an opportunity to bring together producers, directors, stars, and investors, but rather a chance for Taiwan to provide a platform on which movers and shakers in the international film and television industries can meet.
Taiwan is preparing for and will soon host a series of 10 events that mark the TIFTE 2005. These include awards ceremonies, international film and TV festivities, international film festival, venture capital conference, global summit, and a film and TV market exhibition. The GIO declares that the age of Taiwan film and television has arrived, and that the upcoming TIFTE 2005 will mark the beginning of greater interaction between Taiwan and the rest of the world in this industry. Henceforth, Taiwan will be more active in promoting culture.
For more information on activities, please go to: http://tifte.gio.gov.tw
