Taiwanese choreographer Benson Tsai and Asian film festival artistic director Jean-Marc Thérouanne of France were presented with the 2025 Taiwan-France Cultural Award Sept. 8 in Paris for their work in cultural exchange, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Tsai founded B.DANCE in 2014 when he received the Gauthier Dance/Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart Production Award as well as the Audience Award of Germany for his work “Floating Flowers.” He was named “Best Emerging Choreographer of the Year” in 2020 by the France National Board of Performance Arts.
Thérouanne co-founded the Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul with his wife and the festival’s director Martine Thérouanne in 1995. It is one of the top 10 film events in France and the longest-running Asian film festival in Europe. Over three decades, the festival has offered nearly 80 Taiwanese film programs, reaching more than 800,000 audience members.
Attending the ceremony in person for the first time in his current capacity, MOC Minister Li Yuan expressed gratitude to those dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Europe, saying that art is not only a bridge connecting people, but also a powerful force that can transcend borders and enhance mutual understanding.
According to the minister, the award and the Taiwan Culture in Europe 2025 initiative reflect the shared commitment to democracy and cultural diversity by Taiwan and Europe. Despite the turbulent global situation, he said countries around the world can still engage with each other through culture-based dialogue and exchanges.
To further strengthen the bilateral ties, Li signed an agreement with Bernard Stirn, perpetual secretary of the award’s co-organizer the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, to extend the partnership for another five years.
Established in 1996 by the MOC and the French academy, the annual award is presented to distinguished individuals or groups that have helped raise awareness of Taiwan in Europe or facilitated cultural exchanges. It has honored a total of 52 winners from Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the U.K. (SFC-E)
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