Taiwanese films gained ground during the “Taiwan New Wave” movement of the 80s, followed by a swift drop in popularity as the younger generation lost interest in portrayals of the repressive martial-law era and explorations of the inner selves of film directors. In 2006, the local market share of Taiwan films was a dismal 1.62 percent.
But since President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, cross-strait collaborations with mainland China in all industries, including film, have brought increasing financial rewards.
“We have entered a new phase; the market should no longer be limited to this island. Because Taiwan and mainland China share the same language and similar cultures, Taiwanese filmmakers have an advantage in capturing a share of the market across the strait,” said 27-year-old Maxx Tsai, a producer for Serenity Entertainment International Co. Ltd. and former production manager of its affiliate Three Dots Entertainment Co. Ltd.
Asked what would be the best potential launch into the mainland Chinese market, Tsai said without hesitation, “genre films.” In the summer of 2008, “Cape No. 7,” a local dark horse, beat all American commercial blockbusters during vacation time in Taiwan. Successfully combining music, local color and Taiwanese history, the coming-of-age romance stunned the industry with a record NT$530 million (US$16 million) box office and a run of almost four months, a rare achievement for local films these days. It also swept Hong Kong and mainland China, winning the hearts of Chinese audiences across the strait.
Films from Taiwan may be particularly attractive in mainland China because of a widespread “unrecovered territory” nostalgia and curiosity about Taiwan.
Thus, Tsai’s former company, Three Dots, chose to make its major launch into the mainland market with “Snowfall in Taipei” last year, which was released by Beijing Polybona Film Distribution Co. Ltd. The brainchild of a cross-strait collaboration, it is a romance adapted from a popular Japanese novel about how the son of a post-war Chinese immigrant family in Taiwan falls in love with a mainland Chinese singer. The film was shot in metropolitan Taipei, as well as in a small period town in its vicinity, Pingxi.
The filming locations were the result of a recent policy by the Taipei City Government. At the 2009 Taipei Film Festival in July, the Taipei Film Commission projected a promotional short before the opening credits of many films, showing Taipei Mayor Hao Lung-bin warmheartedly welcoming global filmmakers to carry out projects in Taiwan, especially in the capital city.
Three Dots jumped at the chance, introducing Taiwan’s unique culture of mixed ethnic backgrounds and open-mindedness to mainland Chinese audiences through the eyes of mainland director Huo Jianqi, who observes Taiwan from an outsider’s perspective, marveling at such things as the musical garbage trucks, which Taiwanese people take for granted. Polybona expects this refreshing look at Taiwan to be a great selling point in the mainland Chinese market.
Without a well-known mainland Chinese director and Beijing distribution company, “Snowfall in Taipei,” which is due to be released in October, might never have made it to mainland China. This is because the Beijing government still restricts imported foreign films—a category to which Taiwanese films belong—to only 20 annually in a country with a potential audience of 1.3 billion.
This “Taiwan-production, mainland China-distribution” strategy should help Taiwan film companies elbow their way through to box offices against giant competitors like Imax Corporation from Hollywood, which has been eying the mainland Chinese market for years.
But Tsai believes Hollywood can be of help, too. He pointed out, “an industry is about making profits, and the film sector is no exception. In addition to the cross-strait market, Taiwan filmmakers have also begun working with western companies to promote local movies, both at home and abroad.”
“Invitation Only,” out this spring, was co-released by the American industry giant Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., with well-planned marketing strategies and a strong distribution channel. The first local slasher film, it cut into the horror genre market with Hollywood-style posters, winning film viewers over from American motion pictures.
However, without sufficient capital, all the collaborative launches would face a smaller chance of survival in the industry. In fact, the Taiwan government has been funding the film industry with annual grants since 1989, offering up to NT$10 million for a single feature film, in addition to smaller grants for shorts and documentaries. When a local film is screened in cinemas, the government also provides financial rewards to the distribution company, not matter what the box office performance, a phenomenon rarely seen elsewhere in the world.
In July 2008, film was designated one of the prioritized sectors in the Cultural and Creative Industry Development Plan of the Council of Cultural Affairs under the Executive Yuan. According to George C. H. Hsu, deputy minister of the cabinet-level Government Information Office, from 2010 to 2014, NT$15 billion will be injected into key sectors under the plan.
The recent participation of the business sector has brought further hope to the film industry. Whether this will be beneficial to the industry remains to be seen, as there are bound to be limitations along with capital investment. One thing for certain is that more films will appear on the market, such as the recently released “Empire of Silver,” a powerful epic film funded by Terry Gou, head of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.
Ultimately, however, neither collaborative forces from outside the island nor funding by the public and private sectors will ensure the success of the Taiwanese film industry. That will depend on the movies it produces and on movie fans buying tickets to watch them. Only with moviegoers’ support will the Taiwan film industry see a better future.
Write to Tien-ying Hsu at tyhsu@mail.gio.gov.tw