The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is to lead the nation’s participation at the international television series festival Series Mania next month, the agency said.
Series Mania, one of Europe’s largest and most prestigious television series festivals, is to take place in Lille, France, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, the agency said in a statement this month.
At the festival, the agency would showcase a variety of Taiwanese television series at the Taiwan Pavilion, while promoting local production companies, and bolstering the nation’s cultural image through the richness and diversity of its content, it said.
Photo courtesy of GagaOOLala
It would also encourage industry players to enter competitions and pitching sessions at the festival, it said.
The agency aims to help launch local television series into the international market and attract international buyers, it added.
The Taiwan Pavilion would feature shows such as the mini-series Fragrance of the First Flower (第一次遇見花香的那刻), the agency said.
Directed by Angel Teng (鄧依涵), the show was selected for the festival’s Short Forms Competition and won the Gold Award at last year’s GagaOOLala Pitching Sessions.
Along with the platform Book Seller to Box Office, Series Mania and the TAICCA have recommended the mystery thriller The Spectre in Samaji (沙瑪基的惡靈) by Taiwanese author Sha Tang (沙棠) for adaption into a television series in the festival’s “Book-to-Screen” segment, it said.
The global film and television industry has experienced “a wave of OTT transformation,” TAICCA chief executive officer Lee Ming-the (李明哲) said, referring to over-the-top media services, which are offered directly through the Internet, bypassing traditional platforms.
“Coupled with the impact of the [COVID-19] pandemic, streaming has become the main method of content consumption,” he said.
“With the exception of feature films, various international markets are increasingly focusing on series to meet market demand,” he said.
“Series Mania is an important gateway to the European and global market for television content,” he added.
This year would be the agency’s first time promoting Taiwanese series at the festival, he said.
“We hope that with the momentum of this festival, we will see more works from Taiwan across the world,” he said.
Separately, the TAICCA said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Midem, an annual, international music industry event in Cannes, France.
The partnership, aimed at boosting Taiwan’s music industry and talent, would help Taiwanese gain international exposure through competitions and exhibitions, as well as provide matchmaking opportunities with investors, talent agencies and producers, it said.
“The addition of our artists to Midem’s lineup will increase the presence of Taiwan’s music industry in the world,” Lee said. “It can help globalize our industry.”
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