Chang Chen Coaches Six Rising Taiwanese Actors in Taipei
Chang Chen, the chair of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, has spent time coaching six of Taiwan's rising screen actors on how to move between different film sets. The session took place in Taipei as part of the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, known as TCCF, according to Variety.
The showcase was called "TCCF x The Golden Horse Awards: Taiwan Emerging Actors Showcase." The Golden Horse Awards and TCCF co-organised it. Screen Daily describes it as the first edition of the event.
The six performers were Bai Xiao-ying, Ho Man-xi, Rosen, Jimmy Liu, Ma Shih-yuan and Lin Yi-ting. Each one is a nominee or past winner of the Best New Performer prize at the Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan's best-known film honours. Bai Xiao-ying and Ho Man-xi are nominated this year for their work in "Girl" and "Sunshine Women's Choir." Ma Shih-yuan won the same award last year for "Left-Handed Girl."
Rosen, Jimmy Liu and Lin Yi-ting were nominated for "Marching Boys," "Blind Love" and "A Dance With Rainbows."
Chang Chen is himself a decorated name. He won last year's Golden Horse award for best leading actor for "Lucky Lu." He is also known to international audiences for his role in "Dune," according to Deadline, which reported on the showcase.
The aim of the showcase was to put the young performers in front of international creative teams, investors and media. For actors, that kind of contact matters. A film cast in one country can be shot, financed and sold in another, and a performer who can work across those different sets and crews is easier for producers to book.
Festivals and markets like this one are where many careers take their first steps abroad. Deals made in the corridors often shape which films reach cinemas or streaming services a year or two later. A showcase that introduces actors to buyers and financiers is a small but practical part of that chain.
The event also put an older generation of Taiwanese talent next to the new one. Chang Chen's role was to advise the six performers directly, drawing on his own experience of working on film sets at home and abroad. The Golden Horse Awards, which name the Best New Performer each year, now have a showcase that carries that recognition beyond the awards night.
