Taiwan's Content Agency Puts Intellectual Property First as Taipei Festival Opens
Taiwan's content industry should make developing and selling its intellectual property (IP) the top priority, Sue Wang, chair of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), said in remarks published by Variety. IP here means the original stories, characters and brands that can later become films, series, comics or stage shows.
The message arrives as the 2026 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) prepares to open. The seventh edition of the event runs from Nov. 6 to 9 in Taipei, according to Screen Daily. Its market will bring together 107 exhibitors from seven countries and territories. Exhibitors in IP categories such as publishing, comics and characters are up 13% on last year, Variety reported.
The agency also puts money behind projects. As of Oct. 30, TAICCA had invested about NT$560 million ($17.1 million) in 24 international co-financing and co-production projects. Co-financing means two or more backers share the cost of a production. A co-production is a film or series made by companies in more than one country. The 24 projects cover feature films, series and animation, with partners in 15 countries and territories.
Other funds are working alongside it. The Taiwan-Korea Entertainment and Cultural Content Fund and the Far EasTone Creative Entertainment Fund approved investments in 12 projects, which Variety said have drawn about NT$600 million ($18.3 million) in private capital. TAICCA-backed funds have also supported the road movie "Lonely Together" and "The Rope Curse 4: Kuntilanak."
The festival programme includes several set pieces. TCCF Spotlight Screenings will show "April" on Nov. 7, followed by the Taiwan-Singapore series "See You at 11pm" on Nov. 8. The Forum, themed "Reshape," will host 12 talks and panels with more than 20 experts. Pitching teams selected for TCCF can also apply for early-stage support through TAICCA's Cultural Content Development Program.
The festival circuit has already come calling. The Taiwan-Japan film "Arrested Memory" was selected for Venice Open – Out of Competition at the 83rd Venice Film Festival and for the Midnight Madness section of the 51st Toronto Film Festival, Variety reported.
Wang, who previously worked as tax director at PricewaterhouseCoopers Taiwan, took up her TAICCA role in August, ahead of this year's edition. On the technology question, she said the agency is cautious about generative AI, the kind of software that produces text or sound, in core creative work such as scriptwriting and music composition. She also named AI-driven innovation in film and television as one of the key trends shaping the industry.
Why does any of this matter to a moviegoer? A film on a cinema screen usually starts years earlier, with a story someone chose to develop, a partner who agreed to share the cost and a festival that decided to show it. Wang's emphasis on IP points at that early stage. Her agency's 2026 roadmap, as set out on TAICCA's website, says it is investing in original Taiwanese IP with room to grow, and backing projects that can move between formats, from film and TV to stage and musical.
Wang has also said TAICCA will keep pushing international partnerships through co-productions and joint ventures, a point she made in a February interview with Taiwan Today. The Taipei market this week will show how many of those partnerships are ready to be pitched.
