GrX Studio is launching a $45 million fund called “Asia Spring” to expand its international reach while solidifying its position in Taiwan’s film and TV production industry. The announcement was made during a fast-paced event on Monday at the Busan International Film Festival.
The studio plans to invest this amount over five years into 15 Mandarin-language series and five horror films. The event showcased several ongoing projects, including Copycat Killer, which has gained significant popularity on Netflix.
Notable actors attending included Taiwan’s Ning Chang and Vietnam’s Lien Binh Phat from the upcoming crime series The Outlaw Doctor, currently in post-production. The series is a collaboration between GrX Studio, Public Television Service Foundation (PTS), and Chunghwa Telecom (CHT). Additionally, Korean celebrity Jinyoung and Taiwanese actress Moon Lee were present for the romance film The Photo from 1977, supported by the Hakka Affairs Council and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA).
Other confirmed projects include the horror film Trapped in Yellow, the boys’ love feature film Wild With You, produced by award-winning Phoebe Ma, and the thriller series The Ones I Killed and the Ones Who Killed Me, based on a popular Japanese novel by Akira Higashiyama.
A historical series titled KOHAKU: The Traitor of the Night will be directed by Lien Yi-chi and Kentaro Hagiwara. This eight-episode series explores themes of reconstruction and humanity’s future. If successful, GrX plans to extend it for three seasons.
The studio will also distribute a reality food show called Go! Go!
Michelin and manage international distribution for a new Taiwanese-K-pop variety show titled SCOOL.
Dennis Wu, GrX’s strategy and chief investment officer, stated that the $45 million fund aims to position Taiwan as a hub for Asian co-productions. He expressed hope to collaborate with exceptional filmmakers from various regions. Wu noted that Taiwanese companies are experiencing a resurgence as sources of Chinese-language productions amid shifts in the industry.
He explained that the current slate of projects focuses on themes of comfort, exhilaration, and subversion. Wu emphasized the need to build a stable distribution network across Taiwan, mainland China, and Singapore as part of their growth strategy.
Despite challenges in traditional cinema attendance, Wu believes ACFM provided valuable insights into market demands that will guide GrX Studio’s future endeavors.
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