中心大事紀HISTORY

Founded in 1978, the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute serves as a specialized institute for preserving Taiwan's film, audiovisual and cultural assets. In 1977, the Motion Picture and Drama Association of the Republic of China held a "Symposium on Current Film Issues" and recommended that a "Film Library" should be established. In 1978, the Film Library of the Motion Picture Development Foundation was established by the Government Information Office of the Executive Yuan and the Taipei Film Trade Association with funding from the Film Business Development Fund in a building located on Qingdao East Road in Taipei City. At the beginning, the mission of the library was focused on exploring film aesthetics by introducing foreign classics to the public. It was the first film library founded in Taiwan. At first, there was only a library, a screening room, a reading room, and video viewing rooms. When the Golden Horse International Film Festival was held, it introduced films that were different from those of Hollywood to the public and thus helped build the reputation of the festival among film fans in Taiwan. The library has also held the World Classics Film Festival and the French Film Festival, and screened masterpieces from various countries as well as New Wave arthouse films, influencing many Taiwanese directors and young students. The venue on the 4th floor of No. 7 Qingdao East Road has also become a treasure trove for film studies in Taiwan.
In order to highlight the importance of preserving film assets, the Film Library was renamed the "Film Archive of the Motion Picture Development Foundation" in 1989. More comprehensive work in the collection, organization, and preservation of Taiwanese film assets were undertaken. In 1991, the Government Information Office of the Executive Yuan decided to establish the foundation "Chinese Taipei Film Archive (CTFA)" in accordance with Article 61 of the Civil Code to ensure the nationalization of the Film Archive and to prevent the slow legislative process from affecting its operation. In 1995, CTFA became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), and continued to not only collect film items, but also carry on organizing projects such as the Golden Harvest Awards, the Short Film Grant, and the Excellent Screenplay Awards. It also organized membership activities and published the Film Appreciation Journal, Taiwan Cinema Yearbook, and various books, preparing for its future upgrade to a "national" institution.
In 2014, the Ministry of Culture assigned the Chinese Taipei Film Archive with new missions in marketing and education, paving the way for its transformation to the Taiwan Film Institute (TFI). The Taiwan International Documentary Film Biennial was also incorporated into the Institute and given a permanent office. Building on its ongoing work in preservation, restoration, research, and publication, new efforts in film education, overseas marketing and sales were added. Meanwhile, TFI continued to expand its film library, screening room, archives, digital restoration laboratory and other hardware facilities.
The Legislative Yuan passed a bill of Act for the Establishment of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute in December 2019, upgrading the Taiwan Film Institute from an incorporated foundation to a public administrative body. The organization was renamed the "Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI)" after it was promulgated by the President and established by the Executive Yuan. With the aim of preserving, restoring, researching, and promoting film and audiovisual cross-media collections and studies, the Institute will continue to contribute to the preservation of Taiwanese film and audiovisual assets and to Taiwan’s cultural promotion and development.