The Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs yesterday rejected reports that it was instructed by someone in the central government not to promote Taiwanese horror film Detention (返校).
The movie, set during the White Terror era and highly critical of the authoritarian government at the time, has earned more than NT$45 million (US$1.45 million) since its premiere on Friday.
While the city government provided the movie with assistance during its production — support that it gives all movies shot and produced in the municipality — city officials have been silent since the premiere, former bureau head Yin Li (尹立) said on Facebook on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of 1 Production Film
Li said that the municipality had received instructions from an official in the administration not to help promote the movie, saying: “How ironic is that — that Kaohsiung does not even have the freedom to support a movie about freedom that Kaohsiung people invested in?”
Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) yesterday said that while the Kaohsiung City Government might not like the movie because it touches on some of the mistakes that the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration made during the White Terror era, the movie is not about supporting or opposing political parties.
The movie depicts the pain that the White Terror era has left on many people and can help the younger generation understand more about Taiwan’s history, Chen said.
“That is why I find it difficult to understand why the local government’s approach to promoting local movies has changed so drastically,” he said.
Kaohsiung Film Development Center Director Yan Meng-ying (楊孟穎) said that the city government has offered a wide range of support for the movie, from investment, location scouting, filming and promotion.
“Please stop hurting us with unfounded accusations,” Yan said, urging people to support Detention.
The bureau subsidized the movie’s premiere in Kaohsiung and paid other promotional costs, it said in a statement.
The city’s bus stops have had advertisements for Detention, the government’s monthly magazine on cultural activities carried advertisements and video commercials played on the Kaohsiung metro, it said.
The bureau said it cannot understand why Yin would negate its efforts to promote Kaohsiung arts and culture, adding that it hopes political manipulation would end.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS