The Series Mania TV fest and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) have forged a strategic alliance that aims to deepen already strong existing industry ties between Europe and Taiwan.
Under this partnership, Series Mania and TAICCA will jointly organize co-production workshops for project teams to pitch at Series Mania. Conversely, top European TV execs will be invited to attend the Taiwan Creative Content Fest held annually in November.
The agreement was signed during a Series Mania Forum event by TAICCA chair Ting Hsiao-Ching and Series Mania general director Laurence Herszberg, who noted that it will “build on the extensive ties in the audiovisual industries between Europe and Taiwan.”
Ting made the trek from Asia to Series Mania in Lille, France, with a large Taiwanese delegation to introduce more than 50 projects from 24 TV production companies represented by the Taiwan Pavilion at the fest.
Tawian’s TV industry has been steadily gaining international traction.
“Fragrance of the First Flower” (pictured) produced by Taiwanese over-the-top platform GagaOOLala, which specializes in LGBTQ content, was named by Variety as one of the best international TV shows of 2021.
The idea behind the pact is to offer a fast track for creators, producers, investors, and distributors from both sides to ensure mutual access to TV markets in Europe and Aisa, and to open a doorway for European TV producers to make global content for Chinese speaking audiences.
“Taiwan shares European values regarding freedom; democracy; inclusion; and diversity,” said Ting “as well as a similar funding ecosystem,” she added, noting that “It is a natural fit for European projects looking for co-production partners in Asia.”
Although self-ruled, Taiwan has its own democratically elected government and split from China in 1949, Beijing still considers it a renegade province under its own jurisdiction.
The ceremonial signing was also attended by Taiwan’s deputy ambassador in France, Bernard Bang-Zyh Liu, who noted that “With the rise of international streaming platforms, creators can bring great stories to the doorsteps of every household without borders.”
“I’m excited to see Taiwan and Europe joining hands to create unique content that travels well all around the world,” he said.