The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), established in December 2019 as part of the Ministry of Culture, is a government-funded agency that acts as an intermediary cultural organization between the public and private sectors to promote the production of cultural content such as movies, music, comic books and games. Ultimately, the agency’s mission is to develop Taiwan’s cultural brand and tap international markets.
With its “International Co-funding Program (TICP) 1.0” launched in January 2021, TAICCA has invested in 37 projects over the past three years and created international collaboration opportunities for Taiwanese cultural and creative industries. It has also achieved notable success, with examples such as The Last Queen, a film co-produced by Taiwan, France and Algeria, which won awards at the Red Sea and Venice film festivals, and For My Country, co-produced by Taiwan and France, which was nominated for the 79th Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti category.
For local cultural and creative industry workers, from producers to directors and writers to actors, and technical crew such as cinematographers, lighting technicians, editors and sound designers, the TICP 1.0 scheme provided rare and valuable opportunities to gain international cooperation experience and increase global presence. Besides meeting industry participants’ real needs, the scheme helped support diverse content production and boosted Taiwan’s competitiveness in the commercial and art markets.
As part of an update to the program, TAICCA introduced its “TICP 2.0” funding scheme on Jan. 19, intending to expand the original scheme, increase investment funding, accelerate the review process and better align with international market demands. Projects applying for new scheme funds should incorporate three elements: “Taiwanese elements, international joint ventures or co-productions, and international distribution channels,” the agency said.
However, this move caused concern and a backlash in Taiwan’s film and TV industry, with more than 100 filmmakers, actors and technical crew signing a joint statement on Jan. 22, criticizing the new scheme for the opacity of its application methods, review processes and standards, and the lack of clear directions on transition measures for linking the old and new schemes.
The joint statement lamented TAICCA’s lack of communication or discussion with the industry throughout the entire process and expressed concerns that the move would jeopardize Taiwan’s entire cultural and creative industries ecosystem, halt ongoing international projects and damage the nation’s global image.
TAICCA immediately responded to filmmakers on Jan. 23 that it would adopt transparent and open communication with the industry on policy changes and is willing to clarify the TICP 2.0 status and the applicability of future international cooperation. The agency also pledged to continue accepting TICP 1.0 applications through the end of this month, with a seamless transition to the new scheme, but its ability to execute the transition remains to be seen.
The international film and TV content ecosystem has undergone greater changes lately, and production costs have increased substantially, making it more difficult for industry participants to raise international funds.
While TICP 2.0 raises the investment ceiling from 30 percent to 49 percent for projects with more “Taiwanese elements” and removes the original NT$300,000 investment cap for single projects, the agency has not answered how “Taiwanese elements” are defined and whether there are standards, adding hurdles to local industry when negotiating with international partners.
It likely surprised TAICCA that its well-intentioned policy triggered such a backlash from hundreds of film and TV industry professionals merely due to poor communication, but a greater lesson from this is how the agency can better demonstrate policymaking openness and transparency, as well as rebuild trust and maintain smooth communication with local industries.
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