The 2015 Ministry of Culture Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program offers subsidies of up to 10 million yuan

The Ministry of Culture Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program, whose per-case subsidy can reach up to 10 million yuan, is now accepting applications for subsidies for 2016 and 2017. It is hoped that by accumulating two years of cross-disciplinary experience and energy, it can inspire more diverse, multi-tiered cross-disciplinary new works between Taiwan, China and international teams.

This year, the Ministry of Culture Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program sponsored Wind Music in releasing a new collaborative album by Puyuma singer-songwriter Wu Hao-en and Grammy Award winner and Hawaiian ukulele master Daniel Ho. The songs of the island meet world music, breaking the boundaries between Taiwanese indigenous ancient tunes and tradition, jazz, blues, and rock, and using the distinctive patterned carvings of Paiwan artist Idan Pavavaljung to transform the musical content into visual art, so that the album and concert stage convey a strong Austronesian atmosphere.

Xinxin Nanguan Ensemble presented traditional Nanguan compositions fused with Yu Guangzhong's new poetry, interpreted with exquisite and delicate vocal skill, and combined with the VOCO NOVO vocal group to blend pure a cappella voices into the expressive sounds of Nanguan music. After receiving the Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program grant, whether in experimentation with musical style, expansion of subject matter, or the design of lighting and stage, it was able to pursue higher artistic breakthroughs and a modern feel, thereby opening up a trendy new look for Nanguan music in modern society.

Director Zhao Deyin's first feature film after moving from independent production to commercial work, "The Road to Mandalay," was the first film and television co-creation project to receive a Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program subsidy. The film depicts a man and a woman who do not know each other and who illegally cross from Myanmar into Thailand, developing feelings yet constrained by their different hopes for the future. The film is co-produced by Taiwan, China, Myanmar, Thailand, and France. Although the story concerns international migrant workers in Southeast Asia, it has the power of universal concern. The screenplay has successively won the Prix ARTE International from the Franco-German public television channel ARTE, the Busan International Film Festival ACF Award, the Amiens screenplay development award in France, and the Golden Horse Creative Investment Taipei Cultural and Creative Screenplay Award, among others, and is expected to be released next year.

To encourage domestic legal persons and groups and international arts and cultural institutions to create new works through cross-disciplinary cultural professional cooperation, open up diverse dimensions of cultural creation, develop and deepen regional connection networks, promote cross-border circulation and dissemination of co-creation results, and link professional resources to establish long-term partnerships, the Ministry of Culture accepts applications for project subsidies once a year in accordance with the "Ministry of Culture Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program Subsidy Guidelines."

The application period for the Ministry of Culture Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Program special project runs from now until September 30, and accepts projects to be implemented between 2016 and 2017 (projects are capped at twenty-four months). Legal persons, public and private universities and colleges, and private groups (excluding political party organizations) registered or incorporated under the laws of our country, and international arts and cultural institutions (whose headquarters are located in foreign countries or mainland China, Hong Kong, China, or Macao, China) that have already signed cooperation agreements and jointly implement cross-disciplinary cooperation projects that meet the prescribed subsidy categories, and whose requested subsidy amount is between NT$1 million and NT$10 million, may apply.

The relevant subsidy guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from the Ministry of Culture's official website, or inquiries can be made during office hours to the Department of Cultural Exchange of the Ministry (telephone: 02-8512-6719), email: [email protected].