The government is considering building a large movie studio in Tainan to boost the film industry at Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s (李安) suggestion, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said yesterday.
Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) announced the plan on Facebook yesterday, saying the premier had approved a plan to build a world-class movie studio in the Shalun area (沙崙) in Tainan’s Gueiren District (歸仁), adding that Lee picked the location.
“Director Lee and I discussed the plan. The Executive Yuan is assessing the plan and the Tainan City Government is also making suggestions,” Lin said. “We intend to build [the facility], although everything is still in the planning stage and necessary steps have yet to be taken to launch the project.”
In a meeting with the premier earlier this month, Lee proposed that the nation build a world-class movie studio to train and retain local talents and attract international filmmakers, Lai said.
Lin understood the proposal as a means to revitalize the film industry as well as tourism, so he asked Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) to make the plan a major policy goal, Lai said.
Lee recommended the site at the Shalun Farm owned by the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp, which has a high development potential with its flat landscape and accessibility.
The site is connected to major freeways, highways and the high-speed railway, and there is little difficulty in buying the land from the 951 hectare farm, which is solely owned by the company, Lai said, adding that he and Lee inspected the site as early as 2013.
Lin, on Thursday last week, 10 days after meeting with Lee, convened a meeting with three ministers without portfolio, government agencies and the company and made instructions to implement the plan, Lai said.
The ministry is required to put forward a development timetable within a month and the company is asked to fully cooperate with the plan in terms of property acquisition.
According to the premier, preliminary results of the project are expected in three years, Lai said, adding that the city government would be fully engaged in facilitating the project.
The studio and a planned “green” energy industrial park in Shalun are to spearhead the development of an industrial zone around the Tainan High-Speed Rail Station, turning the area into a new landmark, he said.
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