Holo is rising to new prominence in Taiwan’s entertainment industry

2021/08/20

Holo is reclaiming its place in Taiwan’s entertainment industry, highlighting the growing appetite for media in the language among domestic audiences.

Also known as Taiwanese, the language of the country’s largest ethnic group has seen a resurgence in local TV and film productions in recent years despite the linguistic dominance of Mandarin following World War II.

Leading the charge is Taipei City-based Public Television Service, which launched its Taigi Channel in 2019 to offer 24-hour Holo programming. PTS, along with Chinese Television System, is part of the government-sponsored Taiwan Broadcasting System.

With funding from TBS, Taigi and CTS produce the bulk of Taiwan’s Holo dramas. The two channels are pulling out all the stops to enhance shows’ appeal for younger audiences, bringing in people with experience in the Mandarin film and TV sector to help create bold, new content.

Their efforts are paying off, with Taigi’s inaugural show “Coolie,” receiving high marks from audiences and critics alike. The 10-part program released in July 2019 made the shortlist for best director, actor and actress at the 2020 Golden Bell Awards, the local equivalent of the Emmys.

“The Making of an Ordinary Woman,” aired on CTS just a week later as part of a Ministry of Culture-funded project to develop Holo audiovisual content, was an even greater success. The 10-episode literary adaptation portraying comic family relationships in southern Taiwan’s Tainan City recorded the highest ratings for a CTS show since it joined TBS in 2006, earning a Golden Bell for best television series.

Taigi head Lu Tong-hi believes the station has a responsibility to represent all aspects of Taiwan. For this reason, the channel frequently delves into topics such as the country’s democratization and transitional justice in TV films like “Freewill of Formosa” and “Secret in the Garden,” respectively released in 2019 and 2021, and gender-related issues in works like “2 Million Dollars,” aired in April.
 
Such dramas are proving popular not only in Taiwan but overseas as well. PTS has sold the broadcasting rights of “Coolie” to Malaysia and Singapore and seeks to further expand its reach in the region.
 
With subtitles widely available on major media platforms, local languages need not present a barrier to entering international markets, according to Tenn Sun-tshong, longtime advocate of reviving the use of Holo in Taiwan’s cultural industries. It is a rich language fully capable of conveying universal feelings to audiences around the globe, he said.


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)