Taiwanese culture x technology content and music performances dazzle the world once again. The world-class South by Southwest (SXSW) festival is taking place from March 7 to 15 in Austin, Texas, with three Taiwanese works nominated and selected for the XR Experience. The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) joins hands with GIGABYTE for the first time to host the Taiwan Pavilion, which includes the XR Lounge and XR Expo exhibitions that use cutting-edge AI technology to connect technology and culture and enhance international market exposure for immersive content. Furthermore, the Taiwan Beats Showcase organized by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development (BAMID), Ministry of Culture, will also take to the stage at the SXSW Music festival held during SXSW, bringing together TRASH, Enno Cheng, ?te, Amazing Show, HSIEN CHING, and Andr. The Taiwan Beats Showcase Day Party, jointly hosted by TAICCA and BAMID, has recommended five Taiwanese music companies with international market negotiation potential to form a Taiwan Beats business delegation to expand international market opportunities and establish global industry connections.
"Proof As If Proof Were Needed" still photo.
Three Taiwanese works have been nominated and selected this year for SXSW's XR Experience: Proof As If Proof Were Needed, an interactive film co-produced by TTC Studios and the UK-based Blast Theory, has been nominated for the XR Experience competition and will make its world premiere at SXSW; Address Unknown: Fukushima Now and Just for You Trilogy have both been selected for the non-competitive XR Experience Spotlight, the former a co-production by Twisted Nerve Productions, Young Films International, and Serendipity Films, the latter a work by Riverbed Theatre.
"Address Unknown: Fukushima Now " still photo.
SXSW is the world's number one expo for culture x technology content and music, offering abundant opportunities for business and cooperation. TAICCA cooperates with the festival's XR Experience in the hope of enhancing the visibility and market opportunities for Taiwan's culture x technology content and music. The Taiwan Pavilion, showcasing Taiwanese works with visionary culture x technology content, is jointly hosted this year by TAICCA and GIGABYTE, with the expectation of introducing more power from the technology industry and linking it with the cultural content industry. This includes a New Era of AI exhibition set up by GIGABYTE and TAICCA in the XR Lounge, where visitors can directly experience a battle between AI and humans in VS AI Street Fighting . Moreover, GIGABYTE has invited three-time Emmy-winning film producer Hugh Hou as curator to showcase the professional one-stop work process of the latest immersive film and various applications of generative AI. The showcase also demonstrates how the production of professional 4K 360VR content uses GIGABYTE GeForce RTX™ graphics cards to enhance AI functionality through full on-premises AI computational power, using actual interactive operation to give the audience a deeper understanding of the latest uses of AI technology.
TAICCA has also established the XR Special Showcase in the XR Lounge to show seven original Taiwanese XR works supported by TAICCA and the Ministry of Culture: The Theater and I , Masquerade. Chapter 1: Pillaro's Devil Dance , Tirosen - KING BOAT , Hungry , Resistance , Somewhere Unknown In Indochina , and Monologue of Barbie . An industry screening will also be held at the XR Lounge where international buyers can watch the works, hoping thereby to facilitate opportunities for cooperating on the publication and exhibition of Taiwan's latest culture x technology content.
The XR Expo is a special collaboration between TAICCA and the festival's XR Experience. Aside from promoting the three works nominated and selected for the XR Experience, the XR Expo also showcases the Taiwan Content Catalog, which brings together approximately one hundred works of Taiwanese culture x technology content. Through the Catalog, buyers can obtain information about the forms of works, the production states, and the contents and themes, as well as the contact information of the creators. A reception area has also been set up at the venue to provide an area for business meetings and exchanges, hoping to familiarize professional international buyers with original Taiwanese works and facilitate opportunities for cooperation.
As for developing international business opportunities for Taiwanese music, Taiwan Beats has gathered 9 Kick, Studio 8F-3, Long Hu Men, Siren Siren, and Sound of Tomorrow to participate in the Taiwan Beats Showcase Day Party, one-on-one matchmaking sessions, and breakfast exchanges to engage in negotiation and exchange with music festival organizers, overseas buyers, and international music labels. TAICCA also has also joined hands with international partners to help Taiwanese music enter the international market, including the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Reeperbahn Festival, and Sounds Australia.
The Taiwan Beats Showcase Day Party, jointly organized by TAICCA and BIMAP on the afternoon of March 12, focuses on industry exchange to assist Taiwanese musicians in expanding international connections. TAICCA also organizes the TAICCA Meet-up, inviting Jennifer Sullivan, President of North America, CMO at KiTbetter; Gary Fortune, Regional Director North America, KEA New Zealand; Chirag Patel, Membership Director, A2IM; and Gary Guo, Director, Long Hu Men, a media and music festival brand and one of the delegates; to discuss development opportunities in North America for global music companies.
TAICCA CEO Dr. Jiun-Wei Lu congratulated Taiwan's immersive works on getting nominated and selected for SXSW. Participating in SXSW is an important opportunity for the development of Taiwan's culture x technology and music industries. Lu hopes that everyone achieves good results, that the works win awards and move towards the world, and those opportunities for international cooperation can be expanded.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is held every year in March in Austin, Texas. It is one of the most influential art and trade shows in the world, covering the fields of new media, technology, film, music, and education. Every year, it draws the participation of international enterprises such as IBM, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Riot Games, and NASA.
