Kaohsiung, Jan. 19 (CNA) Jean-Francois Casabonne-Masonnave, director of the French Office in Taipei, signed an agreement to expand existing cooperation in the field of extended reality (XR) technology during a visit to Kaohsiung on Tuesday.

Casabonne-Masonnave met with Mayor Chen Chi-mai, who thanked the French office for supporting the city's development of XR industry, which covers virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality.

Chen said he hoped the new agreement would help introduce XR work by Taiwanese to France, which is a leading country in the global business.

According to the city's Bureau of Cultural Affairs, the Kaohsiung Film Festival, French Office in Taipei, and the New Image Festival in France first signed a deal in November 2018, under which Taiwanese VR content has been shown in France, and Taiwanese working in the VR industry have visited France for exchanges with their French counterparts.

Several French experts in the field, such as Camille Lopato, founder and CEO of VR content for distributor Diversion Cinema; VR film producer Antoine Cayrol; and Thomas Villepoux, creative director of Digital Rise Studio, have also visited Kaohsiung to take part in forums or conduct workshops, the bureau added.

VR has been one of the main features of the annual Kaohsiung Film Festival, and the Kaohsiung Film Archive has a dedicated facility to show such films.

Under the new two-year deal, both sides will continue exchanges that allow Taiwanese XR content creators to take part in the French festival, while French creators can stay in Kaohsiung as artists in residence, the bureau said.