Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) returns to NewImages Festival in Paris with latest XR titles and creatives from Taiwan. Since 2018, NewImages Festival has been a major occasion to dive into the heart of immersion that transforms and reinvents the art of storytelling. After online engagements last year, TAICCA and NewImages Festival resume “Taiwan x France XR Days” exchange program in offline mode this year. Five Taiwanese XR talents (see appendix for full list) visit Paris to meet with French counterparts and explore co-production opportunities. In return, selected French professionals are expected to visit Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in November to learn about local ecosystems and capabilities.

Red Tail Ep1 (Photo Credit: Kaohsiung VR FILM LAB)

Taiwan is also present in other sections in NewImages Festival in 2022. In the XR Competition, 4 out of the 15 finalists are from Taiwan (see appendix for the four projects) . Announced at the Awards Ceremony on June 10 (Paris local time), Red Tail Ep.1 received special mention by the jury committee for its artistic and creative achievements. The jury Priscila Guedes said “we decided to have this special mention because it's about the power and courage of making sensitive choices. It’s not easy to go outside of the comfort zone and to express ourselves from within, and make products surviving the market. For that, we want to encourage this project to keep going.” Red Tail Ep.1 is the first VR animation of Fish WANG, a Golden Horse winner, and supported by Kaohsiung Film Archive and Taiwan Public Television Service. The story is about the journey of a little boy who struggles with his inner mind, and tries out to find the answer of his own life. The director was excited to receive the award and shared “I hope every soul which has, had and is having the same problem can resonate and find their answer one day. I really appreciate everything my crew has done with me.” With public support systems and private funding sources, the four projects demonstrate what is possible when cultural heritage and unlimited creativity meet in Taiwan. They also show how Taiwanese productions welcome and embrace international collaborations.

Sebox HUNG from KFA, Technical Director of Red Tail Ming-Yuan CHUAN、Jury Priscila GUEDES, Abel KOHEN, Tomas More “December” and the Curator of NewImages Festival Michele ZIEGLER (Left to Right)

“Taiwanese XR titles have been recognized by many international festivals and competitions,” TAICCA CEO Izero LEE congratulated the production teams. “Recently, Meta has chosen Taiwan to build the first XR Hub in Asia and collaborate with TAICCA. Taiwan has overwhelming advantages in terms of technology and rich cultural heritage. With international collaborations, we can consolidate our leadership in the immersive industry.”

TAICCA is also recommended by the French Office in Taipei to participate in the “Immersive Experience Focus” exchange program organized by Institut Français. The five-day program introduces 26 representatives from 22 countries to major institutions, professional studios, and market landscapes in France. It is an attempt to bring creative powerhouses in immersive industries closer together for cooperation.

During one of the meeting sessions of the XR Development Market, Ksenia Marennikova, Chilien XR producer of Plastic Wave was extremely excited to point out, “In recent years, you can see Taiwan's XR titles in every key festival, and it undoubtedly places Taiwan on par with France and Canada, as one of the top XR industry ecosystems. I look forward to seizing this opportunity to meet more creators and collaborate with Taiwan.”

During the Taiwan x France XR Days, 5 Taiwanese talents visited production companies such as Digital Rise, digital art and immersive fields like Le Cube and JAM CAPSULE, and held an XR Days lunch meetup on June 9. Director of Centre Culturel de Taïwan à Paris Ching-fang HU, and French production teams such as Innerspace VR, Small Creative and Dark Euphoria were all present. They have vivid exchanges and discussions on creative experience, technical skills in the field of immersive experience. Through this meetup in person, more in-depth international co-production, distribution and showcase opportunities between the two countries are expected. One of the Taiwanese XR talents Ming-Yuan CHUAN stated, “It is the first physical international event since the pandemic. What I have learned from this trip is to talk to talented creators from all over the world and receive their direct feedback. It is also amazing to find out how VR works can achieve nowadays after having experienced the Eternelle Notre-Dame multi-player VR experience.”

NewImages Festival XR Exhibition

TAICCA is committed to accelerating XR and immersive content by holding the annual Immersive Content Grant open call. This year, TAICCA welcomes projects that place creative content at their cores and deliver immersive content narratives with technology and with a co-funding or co-production between Taiwanese and international teams. Each selected project will receive up to USD120,000 (NTD 3.5 million) and the open call will close on June 15th. Visit TAICCA official website for more information：https://en.taicca.tw/article/5f18b19f.

Appendix 1: Taiwanese XR talents from Taiwan x France XR Days

Appendix 2: Selected Taiwanese Projects of NewImages Festival XR Competition