Taiwan’s reputation as breeding ground for global student mathematics champions is spotlighted in a feature movie by BBC Films set for release at year-end.
“X plus Y” is directed by Morgan Matthews and features Asa Butterfield as Nathan, a teenage math genius who struggles with interpersonal relationships but finds comfort in numbers. It was inspired by “Beautiful Young Minds,” a BBC documentary nominated in 2007 for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award.
Shot in Taipei City and suburban England, the feature follows the journey of Nathan as he tries to find his place in the world and makes sense of a relationship with a bright girl in Taiwan, according to the BBC.
A highlight of the film is the training Nathan receives in Taiwan after winning selection to represent the U.K. at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
According to Taipei City-based Atom Cinema Co. Ltd., which assisted the British company with shooting the film in Taipei, the city was chosen because of the consistent strong showing by Taiwan students at the annual global competition.
During the two weeks the film crew was in town last fall, they shot scenes at the bustling Shihlin Night Market and Ximen, as well as Municipal Datong Senior High School and Chihlee Institute of Technology.
Advice was also sought from Sun Wen-hsien, a local math teacher and consultant to Taiwan’s IMO teams, and Brian Chen, an 18-year-old Taiwanese prodigy who bagged gold at the 2012 IMO and this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics. Chen was invited to play a fellow IMO contestant in the film but declined the offer due to time constraints.
According to Taipei Film Commission, the city is rising in the international filmmaking stakes. Set up in 2007 by the local government, TFC has helped expedite filming of 267 multinational productions in the metropolis.
Last November, French director Luc Besson and his crew spent two weeks in Taipei shooting his latest production “Lucy” starring Scarlett Johansson. Besson, who is currently in Taipei promoting the film, said he would recommend the city to his fellow directors. (SFC-JSM)
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