Korea can, why can't Taiwan?

Government support

At the same time, there have been a variety of measures from the Korean government to boost the country's film industry. Enterprises are given incentives to invest in films. There is a unique screen quota system which stipulates that theaters screen Korean films for 146 days of the year. In 1996, the Pusan International Film Festival was founded with vast government funding. The festival is now considered the biggest film festival in Asia.

"In Korea, we have film production companies that have emerged, and more and more enterprises are willing to invest in films. There are also many film investment banking companies helping to finance films. The funds are overflowing. As long as you can propose a star cast, it is usually easy to find money," My Sassy Girl's Kwak said during his Taipei visit.

He added that the technical development of the industry has been greatly emphasized. "Professional division is also important. Not everyone can be a director. There are many jobs in making a film and everyone should do their best in their own part," he said.

Compared with the wide appeal of Korean films, Taiwan's films' weakest link is their marketability. That is, in Chiao's words, a lack of middle of the road films with sufficient commercial elements. Taiwanese films always fall polarize between art-house and cheaply made slapstick.

In the 1980s, Hong Kong used to be nicknamed the "Hollywood of the East." Now, Korea is proud of its reputation as another Hollywood in Asia. "As the Hong Kong film industry slumped in the past three years, Korean films have easily taken over the position," Chiao said.

In year 2002, Hollywood studios like DreamWorks and MGM have bought the rights to remake four Korean films: My Sassy Girl; Hi, Dharma; My Wife is a Gangster and The Way Home.

Despite their mediocrity, and lack of talent -- at least in the eyes Chiao and Taiwanese film critics -- Korean films have beat out their Asian neighbors in terms of commercial achievement in recent years.

"In international film markets, a Korean film sells for between US$50,000 to US$100,000 for a smaller market like Taiwan. But for a Taiwanese film, it is even difficult to even get US$20,000," said Patrick Huang (黃茂昌) from Taiwan, a frequent buyer at film festivals and also managing director of Flash Forward Entertainment.

Korea can, why can't Taiwan? It's a sensitive, embarrassing question, but one that must be asked. Losing audience support, lacking good scripts and funding, and now even losing filmmaking talent are all factors related to Taiwan's weakened film industry.

Both Chiao and Huang attribute the sinking local film industry largely to lack of government involvement. "It is a government which only emphasizes its IT industry, but neglects its film industry and the international achievements of its own filmmakers," Chiao said.

In Taiwan, there is no protective mechanism like the Korean screen quota system. There are not even tax reductions, or incentive measures for enterprises investing in filmmaking. Filmmakers have been urging legislators to include such a measure in the Motion Picture Law (電影法). But there has been no development in the past three years.

"Fostering a good filmmaking environment has never been a priority for this country," Huang said. "But if you don't work towards this, it will never happen," Huang said.