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.
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