PR84953

TAIPEI, July 29, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

To extend the reach of Taiwan's original content, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA)

and CATCHPLAY have announced a joint investment in SCREENWORKS ASIA Ltd. to create

more original Taiwanese content for the international audience. The joint venture has a goal

to increase the quantity and quality of entertainment content productions and to facilitate

a platform for international collaboration, aiming to make Taiwan a powerhouse for Asian

original content.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200729/2870692-1-a 

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200729/2870692-1-b 

CATCHPLAY is the leading distributor for international movies in Taiwan, with

movies such as La La Land, Green Book and Parasite in its recent line-up. Its

streaming service, CATCHPLAY+, is one of the few digital content services that

have successfully expanded to international markets, having over 6 million

users to date across operations in Taiwan, Singapore, and Indonesia. Employing

more than a decade of experience in the content industry, CATCHPLAY has had a

remarkable slate of film investments, including the financing of Hollywood

films The Revenant, Assassin's Creed and director Martin Scorsese's Silence in

addition to 20 Once Again, a co-production with Korea's CJ Entertainment.

In 2019, CATCHPLAY, in partnership with Warner Media's HBO Asia, took on the

distribution of its first Taiwanese original drama series, The World Between Us,

and saw the TV series become the most successful Mandarin-speaking series of the year.

TAICCA Chairperson Hsiao-Ching TING states, "With a proprietary distribution

network and experience investing in international productions, CATCHPLAY has

been a long-term distributor of international films and television programs.

Investing in the development of Taiwanese films, TAICCA hopes to leverage

CATCHPLAY's international distribution channels and reverse long-standing

trends by exporting Taiwan-produced films overseas, resonating with the

agency's "internationalization" and "brand creation" strategies TAICCA looks

forward to working with CATCHPLAY to establish a foundation for original

content from Taiwan to integrate with the global market, empowering Taiwan to

become an influential contributor of original content around the globe.

"We used to play by the rules of international content industry rules to bring

good international content to the Taiwanese audience. Now, it's time to

leverage our experience from the international market to bring Taiwan's

original works to the world," said CATCHPLAY CEO Daphne YANG, "It's an honor

that TAICCA favors this concept and our team's capability. We hope that this

partnership can help the Taiwanese film and television industry build a new

platform in line with international standards."

The main focus of SCREENWORKS ASIA will be producing and distributing premium

Taiwanese original entertainment content targeting international audiences.

SCREENWORKS ASIA selects various topics of international interest for

development, focusing mainly on movies, mini-series, and factual entertainment

for theatrical releases, TV, or streaming services with creating diversified,

cross-industry global IP as its long-term goal.

The first SCREENWORKS ASIA project announced is the sequel to one of the most

successful Mandarin-speaking drama series of 2019, The Making of An Ordinary

Woman II. The Making of An Ordinary Woman and The World Between US were named

the top two Mandarin-speaking shows of 2019, rated 8.6 and 9.2 respectively on

IMDb, the leading international content rating service, and reached many

hundreds of millions of viewers in Asia and all over the world. Both shows were

from Taiwan and introduced to streamers on CATCHPLAY+. Five more projects have

also been announced by SCREENWORKS ASIA with principal photography for two of

them kicking off this summer.

Since its establishment last year, TAICCA has endeavored to work on IPs with

outstanding potential to facilitate their development. Among them, the martial

art short film, The Method of Breathing by cutting-edge director Yi LIU, the

winning project selected at the end of last year by the Taipei Golden Horse

Film Project Promotion, has seen its development accelerated through a

TAICCA-established platform and participated in the IP Showcase at this year's

European Film Market in Berlin. SCREENWORKS ASIA will also develop a TV drama

and movie of the same name, creating a stage for the content industry and

creators to leap into the international market.

TAICCA utilizes the Development Fund to invest in diversified industries and

fill in industry gaps, systematically constructing an ecosystem for films with

Taiwan-related content. TAICCA will continue to collaborate with the government

and private sector to welcome additional co-investors for the promotion and

development of Taiwan's cultural content industry.

SOURCE:  Taiwan Creative Content Agency

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=368248

   Caption: From left to right: GM of Screenworks, Karen Tang CEO of CATCHPLAY Group,

Daphne Yang Chairperson of TAICCA, Hsiao-Ching TING President of TAICCA, Lolita

Ching-Fang HU

   Link: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=368250

   Caption: The funders of Screenworks and crew for the coming projects.