Sun, Nov 17, 2002 page8

• Editorial: Killing the Golden Horse

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  The annual Golden Horse Film Festival awards ceremony was held in Kaohsiung yesterday. Because the organizers had invited several Chinese actors and wanted to avoid political conflict, they did not invite President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to deliver the opening speech. The organizers emphasized that as, a cultural activity, the festival is independent and there is therefore nothing wrong with not having politicians deliver speeches.

  Things are, however, not that simple. Chinese films are registered to participate in the festival, and last year's best actor and actress, who had agreed to participate, are also Chinese. Once the debate over whether to invite Chen surfaced, they immediately withdrew their participation. This was obviously due to China-related political factors. The organizers clearly do not consider national sovereignty, and are guilty of nothing short of belittling Taiwan. It is sad to see the Golden Horse Film Festival come to this.

  Arthur Iap (葉國興), Director of the Government Information Office, says that since the organizers stress that politics should not interfere with their activities, they should not apply for government funds. He will therefore consider ending GIO subsidies.

  We agree. By accommodating China, the organizers are letting it use Taiwanese government funds to wage a war of cultural unification on Taiwan.

  The Golden Horse Awards ceremony is a grand occasion in film circles. But the meaning of the annual awards has become distorted, turning both government and organizers into losers. In future, perhaps film circles should reconsider the value of the festival's continued existence. The government should also review whether there are other ways to boost the local movie industry, apart from funding the festival.

  Why does Taiwan's film industry indulge China this way? The only explanation is that they harbor unrealistic dreams about the China market. That audience of 1.2 billion people has featured in their fantasies as they have searched for a source of new vitality since Taiwan's own film market went into recession.

  Taiwan long ago opened its doors to allow imports of Chinese movies, but only last year, after striving for 12 years to break into the China market, was one Taiwanese movie imported by China -- after passing through mandatory censorship for ideologically sensitive material. The door to the China market remains firmly closed.

  Even if the exchanges are one-sided, however, Taiwan's film circles are willing to accept setbacks with resignation and try to accommodate China to win favor. They compete for opportunities to cooperate with China in producing films or strive for the rights to distribute Chinese films. How ludicrous!

  The salaries of the Golden Horse film festival organizers come largely from Taiwanese taxpayer's pockets. But for fear of offending China, they repeatedly debase themselves and even threaten to call off the show.

  One is left feeling that they are ignorant and crass. If we let this group continue to steer Taiwan's film world, it's very hard to feel optimistic that better days will follow. The time has come for a thorough overhaul.

  If the people in Taiwan's film circles pledge their allegiance to China's communist regime, we advise the government not only to stop subsidizing the Golden Horse Film Festival, but also to get rid of the awards all together. Beginning next year, let the organizers go participate in Chinese film festivals -- that is, if Beijing will let them.
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