Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday passed a bill that will transform the Taiwan Film Institute (TFI) from a foundation into an administrative public body and expand its status as a national film and audio-visual culture center.
The TFI was set up as a foundation by the Ministry of Culture in July 2014 after having been known as the Chinese Taipei Film Archive for 35 years.
But as a private incorporated entity it was not able to perform all of the duties necessary and its organizational status did not reflect its importance to the film industry, the ministry said in a report.
Under the bill, the TFI will become a public body incorporated under the law that will have its own management and board of directors -- appointed by the Ministry of Culture -- and will still be supervised by the ministry.
Culture Minister Cheng Li-chiun said the move will help the organization build credibility and strengthen its ability to collect cultural assets while enabling it to operate more sustainably.
TFI Director Wang Chun-chi said the organization's new structure will make its supervisory mechanism more transparent and strengthen its research capabilities to allow for better preservation, storage and restoration of cultural heritage assets.
The bill describes the new organization as a national film and audio-visual culture center responsible for collecting national film and audio-visual assets, and marketing and promoting the development of film and audio-visual culture.
Its scope of operations includes the preservation, restoration, screening, exhibition, reuse, marketing and promotion of film and audio-visual properties, according to the legislation.
The description and scope of operations are not that much different from what the TFI was set up to do -- preserve and restore films and promote Taiwanese film internationally.
Even in terms of funding, the new organization will still only receive part of its funding from the central government, as is the case at present.
The difference, however, will be that instead of receiving a fixed subsidy to execute specific annual projects, with any unused funds at the end of the year to be returned to the Ministry of Culture, the new organization will receive funding from the general budget that is not tied to any specific project.
That means a more stable source of funds and the ability to concentrate on long-term objectives rather than having to adjust from one short-term project to another, a TFI spokesperson said.
The bill will also give the new organization access to public assets that are donated, leased or provided for free by government agencies, a benefit incorporated foundations do not have.
