The Taipei Film Commission yesterday signed an agreement with the Paris-based Ile de France Film Commission on mutual assistance in film production and marketing, and promised to seek more international cooperation in the future.
Upon the signing of the agreement, Taipei became the first city in Asia to formally cooperate with the Ile de France Film Commission, one of the 12 film commissions under the Commission Nationale de Filme France.
“The cooperation between Taipei and Paris in film production and marketing will not only promote the development of the film industry in the two cities, but also contribute to more cultural exchanges,” Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said.
Hau said he expected a rapid development of Taipei’s film industry via international cooperation.
Noting France’s interests in Taiwanese films, director of the Ile de France Film Commission Olivier-ReneVeillon said the French film commission has assisted award-winning Taiwanese directors Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) in shooting films previously.
“We want to cooperate with more Taiwanese directors from younger generations, and we hope the cooperation will create more movies that are original and popular,” he said.
After the agreement is inked, television and film producers in the two cities will enjoy the preferential treatment granted to local producers.
Parisian filmmakers working in Taipei, for example, will be issued “preferential cards for film production,” and film producers from Taipei will receive similar treatment in Paris, the Taipei Film Commission said. Yesterday’s ceremony to sign the agreement also attracted well-known directors and movie stars from Taiwan’s film industry to support the Taipei-Paris cooperation agreement.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS