Taiwan Film Projects Seek Overseas Audiences, Adaptation to Sector Challenges: ‘We Need to Think International Before We Start Shooting’

Reverse engineering a previously English-language script into a bilingual, dual-location thriller is one possible route to giving Taiwanese feature films a better shot in the international marketplace. So too, is adapting a previously successful romantic novel that could be partly filmed in the U.K.

Both approaches were spelled out on Wednesday at a panel discussion at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest titled ‘Where is the silver lining for TW film?’ The session involved well-established director Nelson Yeh (“Night Market Hero”), U.S.-based director Weiko Lin and Taiwan female actor and screenwriter Herb Hsu (“Untold Herstory”).

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Over the course of the session, the trio mentioned various challenges facing the Taiwanese industry. These included viewer distraction by micro-length videos, poor levels of audience support for local titles (especially art house films and those in minority languages), a lack of female film directors, as well as an over-familiarity with Hollywood content.

“From childhood, Taiwanese audiences are so used to watching Disney and Hollywood films with Chinese subtitles that we don’t realize we are doing it,” said Lin. “What we need to do is take the best elements of Hollywood and add local elements to make them our own.”

He cited films dual language films including “Minari,” “Past Lives,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Ang Lee’s “Wedding Banquet” as benchmarks for what he is trying to achieve, while also explaining that “Crazy Rich Asian,” a film often cited as an Asian breakthrough, is still essentially a Hollywood movie.

Lin is aiming to shoot “Chalk” in summer next year and has been scouting locations in Boston, U.S. The story sees a single mother taken into witness protection program in the U.S. and discover that the bodyguard she is allocated is actually her estranged son. “The crime and drugs parts would probably be in English, while the family segments would be in Chinese,” said Lin.

Hsu is developing “Oriental Beauty” as a female-oriented historical drama series with the tag-line “Queen Victoria’s Favorite Cup of Tea.” The show is adapted from a novel “The Merry Leaf” (????)by Jade Y. Chen, a novelist known for orientalized stories. Ostensibly a story that traces the origins of Taiwan’s famous bubble tea, the plot involves 19th century woman who is pursued by three men. And although she is still only at script stage, Hsu reported that Chen is considering re-releasing the novel under a title aligned with her series.

Both projects are being developed with producer Yeh and his Good Image company.

“If more Taiwan films are going to go abroad, they need to think about international before they start shooting,” said Hsu.