TT: Here comes the inevitable question: Why does the film have a Spanish title?
LD: You want to produce a product but don’t have enough capital. The best way for you to maximize your money is to make a specialty product. I want people in different countries to see my film. If I call it “I Can’t Live Without You,” it won’t stand out among all the other films with English titles. But with the name No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti, the meaning of which perfectly fits the original Taiwanese title I wanted to use — “I’d Die Without You” (沒你我會死), people will remember the movie. They will instantly know it is a Taiwanese movie shot in black-and-white and with a Spanish title.
You can say it is a creative marketing scheme [laughing].
TT: Are you interested in telling different stories rather than concentrating on making films that have a strong social message like this one?
LD: Of course. Like Luc Besson, I think every subject matter can make an engaging story. My expectation of myself as a director is to become an excellent storyteller.
TT: What do you think about contemporary Taiwanese cinema?
LD: Cape No. 7 (海角七號) did what local filmmakers have been trying to achieve since six, seven years ago. That is, to draw local audiences back to the theater. Now we have to work on this renascent connection with audiences and make more films different in styles and genres to rekindle audiences’ interests.
We have to be sure not to emulate and repeat what has been done. Hong Kong cinema consumed itself by doing that, and we should be careful not to commit the same mistake.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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