The Greater Taichung Government will step up efforts to develop the city’s Wufeng District (霧峰) into a hub for making movies, Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) said.
The district, which Hu said has great filming locations, has been chosen as one of two sites for a movie park the city government proposed to build following the success of director Ang Lee’s (李安) film Life of Pi, which was partly shot in Taichung.
Proper arrangements for the park will not only boost the development of the district, but the whole city, Hu said on Monday.
According to the city’s proposal, one part of the park will be located in Wufeng and will be equipped with a professional film studio and advanced production center, according to the city government’s Information Bureau head Shih Jing-wen (石靜文).
The district was originally home to Taiwan Studio City, a movie-themed amusement park that was damaged by the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and later torn down.
The other section of the park is to be located at the now-defunct Taichung Shui-nan Airport, where a water pool was built by the Life of Pi crew for the movie’s ocean scenes.
The city is planning to turn the site into a facility for premieres, screenings and film festivals, Shih said.
Visitors will also be able to experience the visual effects used in the movie.
The overall plan is to build a complete movie industry chain that allows for movie shooting and production, as well as public recreation, Shih said.
The city government has consistently sponsored and assisted in the production of movies, among them Din Tao: Leader of the Parade (陣頭), about a folk performing art form, the award-winning Touch of the Light (逆光飛翔), and most recently, Life of Pi, Shih said, describing it as an expression of the city’s “soft power.”
Life of Pi won four Oscars this year, for best director, best cinematography, best visual effects and best original score.
More than 70 percent of the movie was shot in Taiwan.
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