Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) today urged the domestic film industry to remain united and expand into international markets to avoid being “manipulated” by Beijing’s “united front” tactics, following a controversy involving the hit Taiwanese film Sunshine Women’s Choir (陽光女子合唱團).
The film, set to premiere in China on Saturday, was criticized for calling itself the “all-time box office champion for Chinese-language films from the China-Taiwan region” in a post on the film’s official social media account on Monday last week.
The film, which boasted cumulative box office earnings of NT$740 million (US$23.08 million), received more than NT$18 million in government subsidies, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Ngalim Tiunn (張雅琳) wrote on social media on Sunday.
Photo: Chen Yu-jui, Taipei Times
The film took taxpayers’ money while going along with China’s cultural “united front” rhetoric, which belittles Taiwan, she said, urging the Ministry of Culture to elaborate on the case.
Addressing the case in a legislative session today, Li said that the film’s producer reached out to him yesterday.
Li said that he has been actively seeking information about recent releases in China and would soon discuss how to respond to similar situations with industry stakeholders who have worked with people in the Chinese market.
Taiwanese films entering the Chinese market must go through two Chinese state-run distributors — China Film Group (中國電影集團) and Huaxia Film Distribution Co (華夏電影發行), he said.
That means that once distribution rights are sold, promotional materials are controlled by the Chinese distributor, Li said.
China might leverage its large market to arbitrarily modify or manipulate Taiwanese films as part of its “united front” work, he said.
He urged the local film industry to stand united and remain vigilant when facing Chinese manipulation that aims to provoke internal conflict and hostility in Taiwan.
The ministry has been promoting international coproductions, increasing subsidies and incorporating international funding to expand the local market, Li said.
Many Taiwanese films have abandoned the Chinese market during the production phase, he said, adding that they have instead found success in other countries, as well as domestically.
The domestic film market has been particularly strong from January to this month, with total box office revenue surpassing last year’s full-year figure, he said.
Current hits include A Foggy Tale (大濛) with NT$110 million in box office earnings, Hero! Hito! (冠軍之路) with NT$95 million in earnings and Double Happiness (雙囍) with NT$80 million in earnings, he said, calling the success unprecedented.
Li urged the public to support domestic productions, adding that the government would continue to back the industry through several policies.
Only by enhancing its own market and expanding into other markets can Taiwan’s cultural industries avoid being influenced by China, he said.
“Only by growing stronger on our own free soil can we avoid being controlled and remain truly free,” he added.
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