Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom announced a slate of film and series investments at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), including police crime drama Gunshot, starring Kent Tsai, and Call Of Lobster, starring Choi Siwon and Chang Chen.
Chunghwa is one of three Taiwanese telcos that are investing in film and TV content through funds launched in partnership with the Taiwanese government.
The company’s previous content investments include feature films Arrested Memory, a Japan-Taiwan co-production directed by Sabu, and The Photo From 1977, directed by Frank Cheng and Sheng-Jung Tang. The two films have a combined 12 nominations in the upcoming Golden Horse Awards.
Gunshot, also starring Chan Tzu-Hsuan, Cheng Chih-Wei, Lu Hsiao-Fen and Mark Lee, follows three police officers with conflicting views of justice trying to navigate a system that rewards visibility over virtue. The eight-part series is produced by PTS Taigi TV with S11 Partners and Third Culture Content.
Other drama series investments from Chunghwa include Yesterday’s Daughter, Tomorrow’s Mother, a family fantasy series created by award-winning producer Phoebe Ma and director Hung Tzu-peng; fantasy adventure series Guides To The World Below, adapted from a popular Taiwanese comic; and C’est La Vie, an urban drama blending cuisine and women’s personal growth, with actress Esther Liu serving as executive producer.
On the film front, Chunghwa is investing in Call Of Lobster, a cross-border action comedy loosely based on the true story of a Taiwanese lobster farmer who offered his services to the North Korean government. Chang Chen and Super Junior member Choi Siwon are set to star in the film, directed by Yin Chen-hao and produced by Calendar Studios.
Chunghwa boarded the project after it won the Chunghwa Telecom Award at TCCF in 2024. Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture is also backing the film.
Among other film investments, Chunghwa also announced its participation in Studio76’s Demon Of The East – Black Condo, part of a horror cinematic universe spanning four Asian countries. Outside of films and series, Chunghwa is also backing reality cooking show Next Z Chef and indie band Shallow Levée’s Speak in Silence Asian tour.
At the slate announcement event in TCCF, Taiwan’s Minister of Culture Li Yuan said: “Chunghwa Telecom is like a pyramid. I am grateful that, beyond building a strong foundation through its thriving core business, the company is also willing to invest at the very top of the pyramid, supporting film and television professionals as they continue moving forward and creating even better work.”
Chunghwa Telecom Senior Executive Vice President Lin Wen-chiyh said: “Chunghwa Telecom is more than just a platform operator; we are also a driving force behind the long-term development of the content industry. Moving forward, we will continue to connect funding, creative talent, and domestic and international partners, leveraging our group’s resources and industry partnerships to help Taiwanese content reach international markets.”
