Taiwan Makes Venice Splash With Shu Qi’s ‘Girl’ and Record XR Lineup

Taiwan is making waves at the 82nd Venice Film Festival with its most significant presence to date, headlined by Shu Qi‘s directorial debut, “Girl,” becoming the first Taiwanese film to compete for the Golden Lion since Tsai Ming-liang’s “Stray Dogs” in 2013.

“Girl,” a coming-of-age tale set in 1980s Keelung, represents Taiwan’s return to Venice’s top tier after more than a decade.

“Not only Taiwanese films but films all over the world face the same challenges in the market,” Shu Qi tells Variety. “So don’t overthink it. If you have the opportunity to make a film, seize it, tell your story and tell it right.”

Taiwan’s Venice footprint extends beyond the main competition. Joe Hsieh and Yonfan’s animated short “Praying Mantis” achieved another first, becoming the inaugural Taiwanese animated work selected for the Horizons short films international competition. The film is a pencil-sketch fable, rooted in Taiwanese mythology and presented in Taiwanese Hokkien.

Taiwan’s presence is further bolstered by master filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang’s new documentary “Back Home” screening out of competition and a restoration of his 1994 Golden Lion winner “Vive l’amour” in Venice Classics.

But it’s in the immersive media space where Taiwan’s presence is most pronounced. Six Taiwan-led or co-produced projects — “Blur,” “The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up,” “Dark Rooms,” “Sense of Nowhere,” “The Shadow (L’Ombre)” and “La Magie Opéra” — have secured spots in Venice’s competitive XR program, many backed by grants and residencies from the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).

“Taiwan has developed strong creative and production capabilities in both animation and immersive [XR] storytelling, gaining increasing visibility at international festivals and professional platforms,” TAICCA chair Sue Wang tells Variety. “These works feature diverse themes and styles with a high level of visual sophistication, and through their narratives rooted in local culture, they serve as an important window for international audiences to experience Taiwan.”

The momentum extends to the business side, with three immersive projects — “After Being Shattered Into Dust,” “The Amazon Gold” and “Poetics of Soil: The Wood Wide Web” — pitching for international co-financing at the Venice Production Bridge’s Gap-Financing Market.

Wang emphasized Taiwan’s unique technological advantages in the XR space: “Taiwan has a complete tech industry chain. Brands such as HTC, MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS and Acer are all established here. Taiwan is well-positioned and open to exploring innovations at the intersection of content and technology.”

The agency head pointed to previous successes, including Taiwan-based Flash Forward Entertainment’s collaboration with France’s Novaya on “Colored,” which won best immersive work at Cannes 2024, and director Singing Chen’s “The Man Who Couldn’t Leave,” which took the best VR experience award at Venice 2022.

The Venice showcase comes against the backdrop of significant industry challenges that make Taiwan’s breakthrough all the more remarkable. “One of the main challenges is that Taiwan’s market is still primarily domestic, with a need for more players capable of expanding internationally and bridging the value chain from midstream operators to large downstream distributors and platforms to strengthen exports,” Wang explains. “The industry consists largely of small and medium-sized enterprises, and much of Taiwan’s production is project-based, often without fully developed financial statements, which makes it more difficult to attract large-scale investment.”

To address these challenges, TAICCA has implemented strategic support measures. “As a key industry facilitator, TAICCA provides both equity and project investment, along with advisory support throughout the application process, to help the industry secure the funding it needs to grow and also offer production teams a clear pathway toward internationalization,” Wang says. “In addition, co-investment through the National Development Fund reduces the risk for private investors, attracting sector and enabling greater support for content creation, thereby fostering a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem.”

The agency has also forged crucial international partnerships to strengthen Taiwan’s global reach. “TAICCA has recently established partnerships with international studios including South Korea’s CJ ENM, MBC Plus, Something Special, Japan’s Asmik Ace, Singapore’s Mediacorp and France’s Cinéfrance Studios,” Wang says. “These collaborations promote international co-productions, creating diverse opportunities for Taiwanese creators — enhancing production quality and scale, expanding talent exchange and facilitating access to funding and international resources.”

“Overall, Taiwan is shifting from a primarily local development focus toward a dual-track model that combines both domestic growth and active international touring and distribution,” Wang adds, citing successful international showcases like the “Portals of Solitude” exhibition at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image.