Results of the Eighth Annual Taipei Film Festival
Following the close of the Eighth Annual Taipei Film Festival (TFF) on July 9, the Commissioner of Department of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) Sebastian Liao presented a report on the accomplishments and results of the event at the city administration meeting of July 25. According to Commissioner Liao, this year’s film festival achieved record highs in ticket sales and viewership. He also reported that the total budget for the Eighth Annual Taipei Film Festival was NT$17.1 million, which was NT$500,000 less than the budget for the previous year. The event attracted a total of 82,032 moviegoers, which is a significant increase from the 59,695 in 2005. Ticket sales rose from NT$6.68 million in 2005 to NT$9.81 million. Compared to the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, the tickets for TFF are on the average NT$70 ~ NT$80 cheaper and attracted about 30,000 more viewers. Mayor Ma suggested that in the future the film festival can shift the focus once again on local films. He also asked the Department of Cultural Affairs to come up with plans to attract filmmakers to film in Taipei. Ma instructed DOCA to report their finding to the city’s Cultural Industries Development Commission for further discussions. At the press conference following the city administration meeting, Commissioner Liao announced that his department is planning to establish a movie committee. The goal of this body will be to encourage filmmakers to shoot their films in Taipei. DOCA is also planning a meeting with filmmakers to discuss the role of the city government in assisting them, including sealing off streets for location filming, and waiving rental fees for shooting in public areas. Commissioner Liao expressed his hope that Taipei can become a center for the local movie industry to develop and to encourage international directors to shoot their films in the city. Liao also noted that DOCA is currently working on plans for the ninth and tenth Taipei Film Festival. The department plans to hold the ten-year anniversary on a greater scale than previous ones and elevate the event further internationally.