Netflix Deepens Partnership with Taiwan’s 62nd Golden Horse Film Festival, Launches New Talent and Storytelling Initiatives

This year, Netflix is deepening its engagement with Taipei’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards — Taiwan’s largest and longest-running celebration of cinema — marking its biggest collaboration with the festival to date.

To celebrate the best of creative storytelling in the region and beyond, Netflix and Golden Horse introduced exciting initiatives, including an exclusive masterclass with award-winning K-drama director Kim Won-suk (When Life Gives You Tangerines) and a new NT$500,000 inclusive storytelling award in partnership with the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP). 

The festival also hosted the premiere of Netflix’s upcoming Taiwanese series Had I Not Seen The Sun: Part 1, where the cast and creators took part in a post-screening Q&A, along with a special screening of Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler.

Notably, Ma Shih-Yuan won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer for her role in the highly acclaimed Left-Handed Girl, directed by Shih-Ching Tsou and co-written and produced by Sean Baker. The film will release on Netflix outside Taiwan (in select countries)on November 28.

Maya Huang, Netflix’s Director of Chinese Language Content, shared: “At Netflix, we believe great stories can come from anywhere. Chinese-language entertainment is gaining global popularity, and we are confident that this momentum will continue. Taiwan is home to some of the most talented creatives and authentic stories, and we remain deeply committed to being a long-term partner to Taiwan’s creative industry. We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with Golden Horse this year, and look forward to continuing to work closely with Taiwan’s creative community to bring more diverse and compelling Chinese-language content to audiences around the world.”

Nurturing Local Talent Through Masterclasses

As part of our talent development efforts, Netflix invited director Kim Won-suk, whose When Life Gives You Tangerines was a hit with Taiwanese viewers, to lead an exclusive Golden Horse Masterclass in Taipei for over 200 participants from Taiwan’s film and television industry. 

Held on November 21, Director Kim shared his experience and insights on crafting strong stories and complex characters: “With the rise of streaming platforms, we see increasingly global and diverse storytelling across films and television dramas. A great story takes the audience on an emotional journey — it entertains, strikes an emotional chord, and leans into reality. Fantasy without reality is hollow, and reality without fantasy is bitter. Striking a balance between the two is crucial when it comes to storytelling. It is the skill of the director to be able to take inspiration from familiar everyday elements and craft something new.”

Director Kim also offered words of encouragement to creators, “Even if something appears to be a failure on the surface, as long as you learn from the journey and find the motivation to keep going and to do better, that is a successful failure.”

Among the attendees was Wave Makers director Lin Chun-yang, who reflected on Kim’s insights, “I’ve always believed that allowing audiences to suspend disbelief is the highest standard of storytelling. My approach has long been to pursue realistic details as closely as possible. What struck me today was Director Kim’s concept that ‘reality without fantasy is too heavy.’ The masterclass inspired me to expand beyond my pursuit of realism to explore the realm of ‘fantasy’, and see what comes out of it.”

Tsai Chia-yin, who starred in The Cleaner, added, “Even in a masterclass setting, Director Kim knew exactly when we needed to laugh, and when we needed words of motivation. His work spans many styles, and his willingness to repeatedly step out of his comfort zone over the years reminds us to return to the essence of storytelling and stay true to our creative core.”

Championing Inclusive Storytelling

Behind every great film and series lies not only incredible talent but also immense creativity. To support a broader range of Chinese-language voices, Netflix established the NT$500,000 “Netflix Diverse & Inclusive Storytelling Award” in the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion’s series category. 

The inaugural winner, Unseen Film Studio, was recognized for Human Era Animal Affairs Bureau, a story about animals and humans coexisting in a modern city. Producer-director Sun Chieh-heng said, “We’re thrilled to receive Netflix’s recognition and encouragement at this early stage of development of the project. It gives us even more confidence to tell this story that crosses cultures, languages, and even species.”

Netflix is one of 12 leading regional and international partners for the Golden Horse Film Project Promotion (FPP) this year, which offered emerging filmmakers a total prize money of approximately TWD 7 million to support and inspire more storytelling talents.

Through these continued collaborations, Netflix reaffirms its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s creative ecosystem — empowering storytellers, celebrating diversity, and bringing authentic Chinese-language stories to audiences worldwide.