The Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), Asia’s premier film and television industry event, is finally making its in-person return this year from March 13 to 16. Held concurrently is the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), a project market where participants seek collaboration resources and development opportunities from international investors. This year, Taiwanese projects make up 8 of the 43 official HAF selections.

The Taiwan Pavilion organized by TAICCA at FILMART.

FILMART is one of the most important exhibitions for Taiwanese works to move toward the international market. Apart from setting up the Taiwan Pavilion, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is also teaming up with HAF to present the new TAICCA Award for the first time. The winner will receive a prize of USD 10,000, as well as the eligibility to apply for TAICCA’s Creative Content Development Program Development Fund and International Co-funding Program. The aim is to encourage more international teams to collaborate with Taiwan, and drive Taiwan’s film and TV industry toward the international market through international co-productions and joint ventures, thereby enhancing the global influence of Taiwan’s cultural content. 

In addition, TAICCA and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) are taking advantage of the gathering of Asian industry professionals at FILMART to jointly announce a residency program that will assist local professionals to expand their international networks and promote more opportunities for cross-border cooperation. Selected content creators will undergo a one-month residency in Bucheon, after which they will pitch their projects at the Goedam Campus Pitching. TAICCA will also invite one project to pitch at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), a B2B content marketplace that draws international professionals to Taiwan to promote creative content, connecting projects and proposals with buyers and investors.

Ellen Y. D. Kim, program director at BIFAN (Left) and Zoe WANG, director of International Business at TAICCA (Right) announced the collaboration between the two organizations.

This year, 82 exhibitors from Taiwan’s film and television industry are participating in the Taiwan Pavilion, where they will present a total of 241 outstanding film and television works. These include director Fu Tien-yu’s new film, Day Off, starring award-winning actress Lu Hsiao-fen in her first role in over 20 years; the immigrant drama My Heavenly City, featuring Vivian Sung and popular Hong Kong star Keung To; Xiao Xiao, the feature debut of Golden Bell winner Chin Chia-hua and produced by Yeh Ju-fen; the suspense series Million-Follower Detective, starring Hong Kong star Ekin Cheng and Taiwan’s Patty Lee, Lee Lee-zen, and Buffy Chen; the family coming-of-age series Living, with Ruby Lin as producer and an all-star cast that includes Wu Kang-ren, Sandrine Pinna, JC Lin, and Yang Kuei-mei; the family fantasy comedy Genius Chef Junior, featuring Hsia Ching-ting, Lan Cheng-lung, Sara Yu, and Kuo Tzu-chien; the reality camping show Light the Wild, in which the girls of “Hikari” from the hit series Light the Night visit Taiwan’s camping grounds; the popular hip-hop talent show The Rappers S2; and the animation Happy Lusasa, based on the original Taiwanese IP “MiluEgg,” showcasing the diverse and rich creativity energy Taiwan has to offer.

TV & film industry professionals meet up at the Taiwan Pavilion for business opportunities.

Of the Taiwanese projects selected for HAF, in the In-development Projects (IDP) section there is the black comedy Family of Crooks, a crazy true story about a theater troupe family; Hugo in the Pigpen, which focuses on food safety and environmental issues; The Mermaid’s Tale, an adaptation of Lee Wei-jing’s novel of the same name that magically depicts the alienation and affections of a single woman in Taipei City; and Racing Storm, a portrayal of restless young Taiwanese drag racers set in 1995. 

Meanwhile, the Work-in-progress (WIP) section includes Salli, a selection of the Nantes Produire au Sud Workshop; A Journey in Spring, a portrait of a Taiwanese family shot in 16mm film; Do Fish Sleep with Their Eyes Open?, a co-production between Brazil, Taiwan, Argentina and Germany, with filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho as producer; and Hunter Brothers, a film that explores tribal and family relations.

Notably, Family of Crooks and Racing Storm are both projects supported by TAICCA’s Creative Content Development Program Development Fund; Hugo in the Pigpen is a winner of last year’s TAICCA x MPA Film Workshop & Pitching Competition; while Do Fish Sleep with Their Eyes Open? received financing from TAICCA’s International Co-funding Program.

Taiwan Pavilion Online Catalog: https://pavilion.taicca.tw/2023-filmart/

Taiwan Pavilion Spring 2023 Promo Video: https://youtu.be/Sv7YgsDh7gU