Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (Industry Programs)

Overview

The Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP) is the industry arm of the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, the largest and longest-running film festival in Taiwan. The 2026 FPP takes place November 17 to 19 in Taipei, running concurrently with the festival (November 6 to 22, 2026). Over its 20-year history, the FPP has helped bring 217 films and series to completion, making it the most productive Chinese-language film project market in the world.

The FPP selects approximately 64 projects each year across three sections: FPP Projects (in-development fiction features), WIP Projects (work-in-progress features with footage assembled), and Series Projects (television and streaming series). In November 2025, the FPP selected 38 FPP Projects, 12 WIP Projects, and 14 Series Projects, resulting in 1,730 one-on-one pitching meetings with representatives from 137 companies and organizations. The total prize money on offer approaches TWD 7 million (approximately USD 215,000), with the Grand Prize at TWD 1,000,000 (approximately USD 31,000).

The FPP is designed for Chinese-language filmmakers seeking co-production financing, distribution, and industry connections. The market's signature one-on-one round table meetings allow filmmakers to present creative visions directly to investors and distributors in a private setting. In 2025, nearly 400 additional matching sessions were facilitated through the FPP x Golden Indie Music Awards networking event, connecting film projects with music composers and performers.

Submission Details

The FPP accepts project submissions through its official portal. Submission is free. Key details:

Projects must be Chinese-language productions or co-productions. The FPP accepts projects at various development stages: FPP Projects require a completed screenplay and attached director, WIP Projects require assembled footage or a rough cut, and Series Projects require a completed series bible and pilot script. Selected project representatives are invited to pitch workshops prior to the market meetings, where industry veterans provide feedback on presentation materials.

FPP Awards and Cash Prizes

The 2025 FPP offered the following cash awards:

• Grand Prize - TWD 1,000,000 (approximately USD 31,000)
• Taipei Golden Creativity Award - TWD 600,000
• TAICCA Original Award - TWD 600,000
• Hakka Creative Award - TWD 400,000
• Judicial Creative Film Award - TWD 350,000
• Judicial Creative Series Award - TWD 350,000
• MORE FUTURE Award - TWD 350,000
• Dawning Jade Entertainment Film Award - TWD 300,000
• Dawning Jade Entertainment Series Award - TWD 300,000
• MyVideo Content Power Award - TWD 300,000
• Taichung Action Creative Award - TWD 300,000
• udnFunLife IP Award - TWD 300,000
• Taipei New Horizon Screenplay Award - TWD 400,000 (WIP projects only)
• Activator Market Potential Award - TWD 300,000 in-kind digital marketing budget (WIP projects only)
• Netflix Inclusive Storytelling Award - TWD 500,000 (Series projects only)

The total prize pool approaches TWD 7 million. Multiple projects can win awards in a single edition, and the Grand Prize is not always the largest single award available to a given project depending on which category-specific prizes it qualifies for.

Golden Horse Academy

The Golden Horse Film Academy is a talent development program that runs during the festival. In 2025, 9 talents were selected from 268 submissions and completed the academy program. The academy is led by a dean and mentor faculty, with participants producing a short film during the program. The 2025 graduating class completed the short film "Expansion" under the guidance of dean LIAO Ching-sung and mentor Oliver CHAN Siu-kuen.

The academy selects emerging Chinese-language filmmakers through a competitive application process. Participants receive mentorship from established directors, producers, and craftspeople, and the program culminates in a completed short film that screens during the festival.

Golden Horse Master Class

The Golden Horse Master Class program brings established filmmakers and craftspeople to Taipei for intensive teaching sessions. The 2025 program assembled 10 master class instructors who shared knowledge with 603 attending filmmakers. Past instructors include:

• Alexandre Desplat - Academy Award-winning composer
• Mark Bridges - Academy Award-winning costume designer
• Patrice Vermette - Academy Award-winning production designer
• Gints Zilbalodis - Academy Award-winning director (Flow)
• Nishijima Hidetoshi - actor
• Bae Doo-na - actor
• Kim Won-suk - director
• Jean-Louis Rodrigue - acting coach
• Deborah Aquila - casting director
• Park Jin-young - colorist

Master classes are open to accredited industry attendees and festival passholders. Sessions typically run 2 to 3 hours and include QandA segments with the audience.

Golden Horse Awards (Industry Context)

The Golden Horse Awards ceremony is the culminating event of the festival and the most significant awards program for Chinese-language cinema. The 62nd Golden Horse Awards (2025) received 593 submissions across all categories. The 63rd Golden Horse Awards ceremony takes place November 22, 2026, at the Taipei Music Center.

Awards are given in two categories: Awards for Film (Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Best Animated Short Film) and Awards for Individuals (Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best New Director, Best New Performer, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Costume Design, Best Action Choreography, Best Original Film Score, Best Original Film Song, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects).

Short film category winners at the Golden Horse Awards qualify for Academy Awards consideration without the standard theatrical run, provided the films comply with Academy rules.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The FPP is the primary entry point for non-Taiwanese Chinese-language filmmakers seeking co-production partners in the region. The market's one-on-one meeting format is unusual in its intimacy: rather than large market floor booths or speed-pitch sessions, the FPP arranges private round table meetings where filmmakers present their full creative vision to individual companies. This format works particularly well for projects that require nuanced explanation of cultural context or artistic ambition.

For producers with Chinese-language projects at any stage, the FPP offers a concentrated three-day meeting environment with 137+ companies in attendance. The pitch workshops preceding the market meetings are a practical benefit: industry veterans review and refine presentation materials before the meetings begin, improving the chances of securing financing commitments.

The Golden Horse Awards submission process is separate from the FPP and the festival. Awards submissions for the 63rd edition open June 1 to 30, 2026 for short films (live action, documentary, animation) and July 1 to 31, 2026 for features (narrative, documentary, animation). Submission is free through the official online system. Films must not have been publicly screened before June 1, 2025 (shorts) or July 1, 2025 (features), and must not have been previously submitted to the Golden Horse Awards in any form.

The festival itself accepts submissions from June 1 to July 31, 2026, also free of charge. Feature films over 60 minutes are eligible, and the festival requires a Taiwan premiere. Short films in the festival program must be in Chinese languages, with at least half of the dialogue in Chinese and a director of Chinese-speaking origin.

Festival History

The Golden Horse Awards were established in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as an awards program for Mandarin-language films. The awards initially required all submitted films to have screening permits and Mandarin dialogue. Over the following decades, eligibility expanded repeatedly: in 1990, all Chinese-language films regardless of production country became eligible, marking the first time films from mainland China could compete. In 1996, the requirement for a screening permit was abolished, repositioning the Golden Horse as a worldwide Chinese-language film competition.

The FPP was established in 2005 as a project market to support the development and financing of Chinese-language cinema. Over 20 years, it has facilitated the completion of 217 films and series. The FPP expanded to include Work-in-Progress projects and Series projects in subsequent years, reflecting the changing landscape of Chinese-language content production.

The Golden Horse Executive Committee now operates three annual events: the Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival (April), the Golden Horse Classic Film Festival (July to August), and the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (November), with the FPP and Awards running during the November festival.

See Also

Calculate your project's potential festival ROI using the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival circuit strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For understanding the Asian film market landscape, see International Film Markets. Submit FPP projects through the Golden Horse FPP portal. Submit awards entries through the Golden Horse Awards online system.