To celebrate International Museum Day on May 18, 2025, the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) has released a wealth of new content on its TFAI Open Museum platform. This includes nearly 2,000 newsreels produced by the Taiwan Film Culture Company (TFCC) between 1970 and 1973, along with a series of oral history interviews commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan New Cinema movement — featuring career reflections from industry veterans such as I-chen KO, Ching-sung LIAO, TSENG Chuang-hsiang, and Loretta YANG. Through digital preservation, audiovisual documentation, and open access, this release showcases the museum’s role in safeguarding cultural memory and promoting public knowledge, advancing the core values of sustainable cultural preservation and public accessibility.
➤The TFAI Open Museum has become a core platform for the preservation and exhibition of Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage.（image courtesy of TFAI）
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has designated the theme of International Museum Day 2025 as “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” exploring how museums can contribute and remain relevant amid social, technological, and environmental upheaval. In keeping with this theme, TFAI Open Museum has continued to expand this year, adding over 2,000 TFCC newsreels including: a 1970 report on the implementation of Taiwan’s nine-year compulsory education policy, reflecting a time when junior high school education was considered a “new model of education”; a 1971 feature capturing the opening of Coca-Cola’s new factory, with a fully automated production line illustrating the modernization of Taiwanese industries; and a 1972 news documentary on the devastation caused by Typhoon Rita. By making these archival materials publicly available and supporting their creative reuse and reinterpretation, the major events and social landscape of early 1970s Taiwan can reconnect with contemporary memories.
➤A 1971 feature capturing the opening of Coca-Cola’s new factory which is available on the platform. （image courtesy of TFAI）
Another highlight of this newly released video series is a collection of invaluable oral history interviews recorded to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan New Cinema, featuring renowned filmmakers such as I-chen KO, Ching-sung LIAO, TSENG Chuang-hsiang, and Loretta YANG. These videos document their reflections on their unique journeys and various roles during the Taiwan New Cinema movement — both in front of and behind the camera — as directors, actors, and producers. For instance, Golden Horse Award-winning editor Ching-sung LIAO reveals that he faced a major career challenge while editing A City of Sadness: “The script had over 200 scenes, but director HOU[Hsiao-hsien] only shot a little over 100.” Loretta YANG fondly recalls her experience starring in Jade Love, and how she was deeply inspired by director CHANG Yi’s mastery in eliciting nuanced performances. Director I-chen KO also opens up about his true feelings when signing the Taiwan Cinema Manifesto, a pivotal moment that helped reshape the history of Taiwanese cinema. Each interviewee shares their personal experiences — whether it is the creative challenges of the era or the untold stories behind their films — offering a heartfelt testament to the passion and perseverance of that generation of filmmakers.
➤A collection of oral history interviews recorded to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan New Cinema, such as a veteran editor Ching-sung LIAO.（image courtesy of TFAI）
The TFAI Open Museum has become a core platform for the preservation and exhibition of Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage, safeguarding the collective memories of the people. Its logo, based on the abbreviation “OM” for Open Museum, integrates the geometric aesthetics of a film reel and folded paper, symbolizing the inclusion of audiovisual assets and digitized paper archives, while also reflecting the museum’s openness and diversity. Through the TFAI Open Museum platform, we invite the public to join us in celebrating International Museum Day by revisiting the golden era of Taiwan New Cinema, and gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of Taiwan’s audiovisual history.
TFAI Open Museum