The MIA International Audiovisual Market (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo), dedicated to international TV series, feature films, documentaries, opened its doors for its 7th edition from October 13th to 17th, welcoming audiovisual industry practitioners and professionals from around the world. Hoping to leverage the MIA Market’s significance in Europe, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) participated as the first governmental agency from Asia and further promoted Taiwan’s audiovisual industry to the global market.
TAICCA hosted a networking event, “When Italy Meets Taiwan: Co-Production Incentives,” on October 14th, invited Representative LEE Sing Ying of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Italy, Italian Ministry of Culture representative Iole Maria GIANNATTASIO; Head of Unscripted Content and Animation Activities of MIA Market, A Holy Family (神人之家) producer Stefano CENTINI, as well as Deputy Business Manager of Central Motion Picture Corporation Taiwan Yun CHIU joining TAICCA’s Senior Manager Iwen TANG and industry professionals from around the world.
“The production scale of Taiwanese TV series such as SEQALU: Formosa 1867 (斯卡羅) and Tears on Fire (火神的眼淚) has seen significant growth as a result of long-term efforts in building up Taiwan’s audiovisual industry,” said TAICCA CEO Izero LEE, “TAICCA’s strategy for connecting Taiwanese content to the world not only promotes outstanding content but also highlights the advantages of Taiwan’s film and TV industry in terms of production capacity and cultural diversity.
Representative LEE Sing Ying remarked on the progress in co-production between Italy and Taiwan, as well asTAICCA’s effort in cultivating Taiwanese films and VR projects which has successfully promoted Taiwanese culture.
Iwen TANG of TAICCA also introduced Taiwan’s International Co-funding Program (TICP) and Creative Content Development Program (CCDP) to encourage more international co-production with Taiwanese teams.
Yun CHIU of the Central Motion Picture Corporation Taiwan pointed out the successful Hollywood productions filmed in Taiwan such as Life of Pi and Silence and gave credit to Taiwan’s freedom of expression in political, religious, and social issues. CHIU added that for the crime drama Gatao (角頭) the Taiwanese police even helped to block off roads for filming, showing the Taiwanese government’s commitment to the film and TV industry.
Producer Stefano CENTINI, who is no stranger to Italian-Taiwanese co-production, shared his experience working on A Holy Family (神人之家). He also cited Taiwan’s friendly environment, governmental support, and professional talents as his reason to co-produce this film in Taiwan.
Italian Ministry of Culture representative Iole Maria GIANNATTASIO also introduced the co-production subsidy programs, including minority co-productions with an annual budget of up to 5 million euros and additional funding for long-term Italian-Taiwanese co-production projects.
To increase co-production opportunities for Taiwan, TAICCA will kick off the second edition of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), an annual international content market and exhibition from November 10th to 14th. It includes pitching sessions, networking events, and more for audiovisual professionals from around the world.