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.
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