The Ministry of Culture has started accepting applications for a subsidy program to aid Taiwanese dramas seeking to enter international markets.
The Cabinet last month approved a budget for the ministry’s “one plus four T-content plan,” which includes NT$3 billion (US$94.1 million) for next year and NT$10 billion for next year to 2027, the ministry said.
The plan, also referred to as the “Cultural Kuroshio Current,” is centered on art, publishing, cultural creativity, audiovisual works, cultural technology and cultural diplomacy, it said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The plan’s first program focuses on promoting the audiovisual industry by soliciting internationally oriented Taiwanese dramas. Applications can be submitted until Dec. 4.
It aims to bolster Taiwan’s content production capacity, support and develop large-scale production companies, foster talent, improve technology, and enhance the competitiveness and influence of Taiwanese content, it said.
The program is looking for international and market-oriented productions that present investment term sheets from domestic and foreign investors — such as international enterprises, TV stations, production companies or streaming platforms — and a specific international marketing plan, it said.
The theme of the drama should be unique and international, and those that represent Taiwanese history and culture are preferred, it said.
A proposed drama series should have a planned production cost of at least NT$10 million per episode, or a total cost of more than NT$100 million, it said.
More than one-fifth of the drama’s production team, such as producers, directors, screenwriters and actors, should consist of people shortlisted for or winners of a Golden Bell Award, Golden Horse Award, or other international film and television awards, it said.
The program combines subsidy and investment for additional funding.
After the ministry reviews an application for the program, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency would conduct an investment review, which is under a separate program under the National Development Fund, it said.
Applications that pass both reviews can receive a subsidy of up to 40 percent of the estimated production cost approved by the ministry, it said.
The program plans to solicit applications every season to provide continued support for the industry, the ministry said.
“In the era of digitalization, Taiwan is no longer an outlier or a small country, but has the unprecedented right to address the world,” Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) said.
Countries worldwide can spread their cultural content through over-the-top media services, which are the highways that connects the world, he said.
With growing global attention being drawn to Taiwan, the Cultural Kuroshio Current strives to put Taiwan’s cultural content on those highways to bring entertainment to the world, he said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated