countrytaiwan
Loud & Proud Taiwan has taken to the international stage with its money where its mouth is and a plan that gives the creative industry national strategic importance. If a lot rides on the outcome of the January 2024 election, it’s not stopping today’s parade of regional & international partnerships.
Taiwan has set in place its most determined plan ever to cement the
(Taicca), the six-day TCCF crowned an international calendar that has
country’s creative industry place on the global stage. If there is one
taken Taicca to screens, festivals and red carpets all over the world.
uncertainty, it’s the election in January 2024, which could, if things
Final figures from the fourth TCCF edition – the largest and most
don’t go according to the current plan, change everything. But for
international so far – came in at just over 24,600. A record 241 interna-
now, the so called “black tide” initiative is a powerful force, leaving
tional industry execs from 29 countries were among the thousands of
no doubt about the current administration’s well-funded commitment
people who attended the event, organisers say. The b2b marketplace
and support.
hosted more than 100 booths, including the first booth for Japanese
In his opening address for this year’s Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei in November, Minister of Culture, Shih Che, talked
trade organisation, Jetro. Taicca made sure the six days were packed. Most visible were the
about designating Taiwan’s creative sector as a national strategic in-
stream of MoUs and the line-up of local and international media
dustry, along with a combination of government funding and private
brands willing to shake hands on broad partnerships and pose for
sector investment. “This is just the beginning,” he told a packed audi-
pictures. If the details were vague, the message was clear: there is
ence gathered at the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.
no shortage of partners to fuel outsize creative ambitions. At the very
The Minister highlighted the NT$10 billion/US$318 million budgeted over four years from 2024 – dubbed the 1+4 T-content plan (aka
least, whether the MoUs work out of not, this was a major show of support.
“Black Tide” in the direct translation from Chinese). Starting next year,
The fourth TCCF event ran shortly after Taiwan’s three leading telcos
the Taiwan Cultural Content Fund will provide comprehensive support
– Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and Far Eastone – signalled their
for the development of Taiwan’s cultural content industry in six
commitment to creative investments in separate MoUs with
major aspects of culture and the arts. He also placed Taiwan squarely at the meeting point between Asia and the rest of the world, with an emphasis on ‘world’. “We hope that through this platform the world will see we are confident of our culture and we hope to speak a common language with the world and we hope that the world will see Asian culture through Taiwan”. “In the digital realm, Taiwan is by no means a small nation. When we strengthen Taiwan’s cultural content, we are defending the territory of Taiwan’s culture,” he continued. Creative initiatives include the Creative Industry Promotion Act, which has already passed its third reading in the Executive Yuan and the Legisla-
We’ve had significant achievements... [but] there is a lot of space to grow.” Homme Tsai, Chairperson, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca)
tive Yuan. This means that investments in the creative industry receive tax incentives. In addition, the creative industry will be officially included in the ‘national strategic industry’ category. Led by the Ministry of Culture and the government-backed Taiwan Creative Content Agency
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contentasia december 2023