The premiere of the documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣) at the Kaohsiung Arena (K-Arena) on Wednesday, which attracted nearly 10,000 viewers, is proof that Greater Kaohsiung has become a film-friendly city, local officials said.
The Greater Kaohsiung Government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Shih Che (史哲) said that over the years, the city has endeavored to create a friendly environment for film production through efforts such as establishing the Film Development and Production Center and the Filmmaking Assistance Center, which have attracted hundreds of movie and television producers to shoot in the city.
“The city has also taken concrete measures to drum up support for the premieres of Taiwanese movies... The K-Arena is an ideal place for movie premieres and we plan to continue this promotional pattern to assist in the development of the nation’s film industry,” he said.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Shih was referring to the assistance, including financial, that the bureau extended to prepare for the premiere of Beyond Beauty, a 90-minute film by Taiwanese director Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) that gives audiences a bird’s-eye view of the country’s beauty.
All revenue from the premiere are to be given to the movie production company.
Beyond Beauty is the second Taiwanese film to be screened at the K-Arena, following a special screening of the four-and-a-half-hour Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale in September 2011.
Tickets for both film screening events sold out shortly after going on sale.
According to a source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity, Chi originally planned to premiere his film at an outdoor venue, but decided to go with the K-Arena, an indoor one, after taking into account Shih’s suggestions.
“It turned out that Chi had made the right choice, as the K-Arena’s 23m-by-10m giant LED screen made the beauty of Taiwan look even more breathtaking than it already is,” the source said.
Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) announced on Wednesday that the government had purchased the rights to the documentary for use as an educational tool in 500 elementary and junior-high schools in the city.
That makes Kaohsiung the first city in the nation to include a movie in the school curriculum.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS