Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Academy Share Session: Li Yuan Says 'Must Find Joy in Your Work'
Minister of Culture Li Yuan encouraged screenwriters at the Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Academy's project completion sharing session, emphasizing the difficulties and lack of immediate gratification in screenwriting, urging them to find joy in their work. He also spoke about building an ecosystem for screenwriters and highlighted the academy's program and success stories.
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- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 20:05
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Zhao Jingyu, Taipei, 4th) The Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Association today held a "Project Implementation Completion Sharing Session," where students from the screenwriting academy shared the results of their practical work. "Veteran screenwriter" Minister of Culture Li Yuan stated that being a screenwriter is very hard and often unrewarding, saying, "You must learn to find joy in your work, otherwise you really cannot do this profession."
Organized by the Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Association, co-organized by the Chinese Screenwriting Society, and jointly promoted by the Ministry of Culture's Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, the "Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Academy" held its sharing session today.
In his address, Li Yuan encouraged everyone, saying, "Screenwriting is an unrewarding profession; it's possible to write scripts your whole life and have no one want them. You must learn to find joy in your work, otherwise you really cannot do this profession."
Li Yuan said that as a screenwriter, you often have to tell yourself, "Even if you write something, someone buys your script, and it gets filmed, you might be even sadder." He explained that perhaps the box office is poor, and people blame the screenwriter. "Maybe you'll write scripts your whole life that never get filmed, but in your imagination, you're still a great screenwriter."
Furthermore, Li Yuan mentioned that his old friend, director Edward Yang, often said, "How fortunate we are to live in an unfortunate era and become complete filmmakers." At that time, making movies was very difficult, with no synchronous sound recording and insufficient resources. Now, as a minister, he hopes that the Ministry of Culture will not just provide subsidies but build an ecosystem, "allowing screenwriters to warm and comfort each other and work within this ecosystem."
Li Yuan also encouraged everyone to watch the Korean drama "We Who Overcame Our Inferiority," which depicts the lives of screenwriters and directors. "Everyone is a mass of emotions, all kinds of emotions, whether anger or sadness, emotions control everyone's daily life. Screenwriters grasp these emotions; whoever can grasp subtle emotions can master the script."
From January to April, the screenwriting academy matched 8 professional creative class students with lead screenwriter or script coordinator teams, participating in actual film and TV series script development work. Each student completed at least 150 hours of project implementation, assisting them in transitioning from classroom learning to real creative work through training closer to industry processes.
During the exchange session, through questions and discussions from various groups, the learning journey from courses to practical work and completion was reviewed. Li Yuan asked if students worried about making a living as screenwriters, "Is it possible to not survive?" Student Lin Xuanhan replied that screenwriting is the most important part of film and television works. "I wanted to be a director, so I first tried to learn how to be a screenwriter." He added that Taiwan's film and television ecosystem is becoming healthier, "so we won't be unable to survive."
Li Yuan also quoted director Chang Yi, saying, "A person who has worked in film will thereafter be able to do anything." He encouraged all filmmakers and screenwriters, stating that film work is full of challenges, even risking one's life. After experiencing film work, one will surely be able to engage in any profession in the future. (Editor: Wu Surou) 1150504
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(Central News Agency reporter Zhao Jingyu, Taipei, 4th) The Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Association today held a "Project Implementation Completion Sharing Session," where students from the screenwriting academy shared the results of their practical work. "Veteran screenwriter" Minister of Culture Li Yuan stated that being a screenwriter is very hard and often unrewarding, saying, "You must learn to find joy in your work, otherwise you really cannot do this profession."
Organized by the Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Association, co-organized by the Chinese Screenwriting Society, and jointly promoted by the Ministry of Culture's Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, the "Taiwan Film and Television Screenwriting Academy" held its sharing session today.
In his address, Li Yuan encouraged everyone, saying, "Screenwriting is an unrewarding profession; it's possible to write scripts your whole life and have no one want them. You must learn to find joy in your work, otherwise you really cannot do this profession."
Li Yuan said that as a screenwriter, you often have to tell yourself, "Even if you write something, someone buys your script, and it gets filmed, you might be even sadder." He explained that perhaps the box office is poor, and people blame the screenwriter. "Maybe you'll write scripts your whole life that never get filmed, but in your imagination, you're still a great screenwriter."
Furthermore, Li Yuan mentioned that his old friend, director Edward Yang, often said, "How fortunate we are to live in an unfortunate era and become complete filmmakers." At that time, making movies was very difficult, with no synchronous sound recording and insufficient resources. Now, as a minister, he hopes that the Ministry of Culture will not just provide subsidies but build an ecosystem, "allowing screenwriters to warm and comfort each other and work within this ecosystem."
Li Yuan also encouraged everyone to watch the Korean drama "We Who Overcame Our Inferiority," which depicts the lives of screenwriters and directors. "Everyone is a mass of emotions, all kinds of emotions, whether anger or sadness, emotions control everyone's daily life. Screenwriters grasp these emotions; whoever can grasp subtle emotions can master the script."
From January to April, the screenwriting academy matched 8 professional creative class students with lead screenwriter or script coordinator teams, participating in actual film and TV series script development work. Each student completed at least 150 hours of project implementation, assisting them in transitioning from classroom learning to real creative work through training closer to industry processes.
During the exchange session, through questions and discussions from various groups, the learning journey from courses to practical work and completion was reviewed. Li Yuan asked if students worried about making a living as screenwriters, "Is it possible to not survive?" Student Lin Xuanhan replied that screenwriting is the most important part of film and television works. "I wanted to be a director, so I first tried to learn how to be a screenwriter." He added that Taiwan's film and television ecosystem is becoming healthier, "so we won't be unable to survive."
Li Yuan also quoted director Chang Yi, saying, "A person who has worked in film will thereafter be able to do anything." He encouraged all filmmakers and screenwriters, stating that film work is full of challenges, even risking one's life. After experiencing film work, one will surely be able to engage in any profession in the future. (Editor: Wu Surou) 1150504
Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.