With the mission of restoring and promoting the collection of audiovisual assets, the new permanent base for Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) officially opened on Jan. 7. Those present at the opening ceremony included President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Minister of Culture Lee Yung-te and Mayor of New Taipei City Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜).
The new building comprises a library, multi-purpose room, exhibition gallery, and other spaces. It is being established on public land in the heart of Xinzhuang provided by the New Taipei City Government, which has also been responsible for the construction of the building.
Addressing the ceremony, President Tsai pointed out that TFAI, as well as many others in the film industry, have kept up with the international trend of digital film restoration in recent years. These institutes collect, restore, and promote Taiwanese classic films, allowing these films to be deeply rooted in the market.
As TFAI has upgraded from an incorporated foundation to an administrative public body, President Tsai expressed her hope for the institute to continue to make a big step forward by expanding its mission to different areas such as television, radio, and others, so as to inject more vitality into Taiwan’s cultural industry.
Premier Su emphasized that the central government fully supports the development of the second phase venue, he believes that this new landmark will become an important showcase of Taiwanese films for the rest of the world.
TFAI stated that the opening of the building is an important milestone, it is hoped that the upcoming public events will evoke the memories of Taiwanese people about the history of films.
The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute is the only administrative institution in Taiwan that specializes in the collection of audiovisual assets. It is committed to rescuing and preserving audio-visual archives through digital restoration technology, to preserve memory and history through the media of video and audio.
(Photo courtesy of TFAI)