The nation’s first epic feature film directed by Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖), the maker of the blockbuster hit Cape No. 7 (海角七號), will hit theaters in two parts in September.
After the success of Cape No. 7, which enjoyed the second--biggest box office sales in the nation’s cinematic history, Wei has spent at least NT$600 million (US$20.7 million) to make Seediq Bale (賽德克巴萊).
The epic is based on the most famous and most violent of the anti-Japanese uprisings during the nation’s Japanese colonial period, know as the Wushe Incident, in which Sediq hero Mona Rudao led his tribe in a rebellion against Japanese military forces in 1930.
Photo provided courtesy of ARS Film Production
The incident occurred in what is now Renai Township (仁愛), Nantou County.
The Sediqs are the nation’s 14th officially recognized Aboriginal tribe and have a population of between 6,000 and 7,000.
Featuring a cast of 15,000 and produced by a 400-person technical production crew from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, Wei said that Seediq Bale was in post--production and would be released in two parts.
The first part, scheduled to be released on Sept. 9, will center on the portrayal of the major characters and the atmosphere of the colonial era. The second part, to be released on Sept. 30, will revolve around the uprising of the Sediq tribe and its suppression by the Japanese army, the director said.
Each part will run for at least two hours, he said.
“Seediq Bale means ‘a real man’ in the language of the Sediq. I am truly grateful for the dedication that my crew showed. Without them, it would never have been possible for me to create this world-class Taiwanese epic feature,” Wei said on Friday.
Despite the huge budget for a local production, some of the crew were not paid for as much as two months of work during the 10-month shoot.
Wei will meet his fans on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 at the Taipei International Book Exhibition at the World Trade Center.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS