Reporter: After the issue of the Solution, two Taiwanese films Forever Love and Silent Code were successively shown to the public in mainland, and a series of pure Taiwan production or co-production between mainland and Taiwan such as When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep, Machi Action, Ripples of Desire will enter the mainland film market. What kind of impact will this Solution bring to Taiwan film and the whole Chinese film industry?
Niu Chen-zer:Since 2008, Taiwan films have achieved a greatly improved circumstance for creation. Nevertheless, a film industry cannot be established overnight with the occurrence of couple of best-selling films or superstars. We are still in a harsh period of climbing scopes. As Deng Xiaoping said, reform and opening up are like wading across a river by feeling for stones on the riverbed. During the process of rebuilding Taiwan film industry, we are feeling for one stone after another trying to wade across this torrent river.
The issue of the Solution provides a good opportunity for Taiwan films to integrate into Chinese film industry. With clear statement on the condition of co-production with Taiwan film circles and cooperation rules between Taiwan filmmakers and counterpart from mainland, filmmakers across the Strait will definitely better their cooperation. Taiwan can serve as shooting location with more agreeable scenery and lots of professional staff for Chinese film production. Moreover, with distinctive traditional character, Taiwan films are unique in the entire Chinese film circle as far as their author film atmosphere and literary disposition are concerned. As for me, my biggest dream is that Chinese films will end the cultural dominance and colony of Hollywood some day and create a film empire on our own. In my opinion, the opportunity has arrived and we must be well-prepared.
Reporter: The film Love directed by you achieved a satisfactory box office in both mainland and Taiwan, which might prove your familiarity with local culture in the mainland. At the same time, such Taiwan blockbusters as Seediq Bale failed to get a good result in the mainland market. As far as you are concerned, what genre of film will gain popularity among audiences across the Strait more easily?
Niu Chen-zer:I don’t think there is a fixed answer to this question. As a film author, you have to think about audience, but you should never live up to their demand. From time to time, I will remind myself and surrounding staff that a filmmaker shall never be fascinated with hot money streaming in the market. We must pursue a success in the film market, but the prerequisite is that your creation must be back to your heart. In other words, you must ask yourself, hey, what kind of film you desire to shoot on earth or whether your film will make a better world or not. It is true that some Taiwan filmmakers came across some limitations on theme or sensitive degrees when they shoot a film in the mainland, but I believe that any limitation matters little because your creation shall return to the original essential idea. So long as you make a film that you love from the bottom of your heart and put it into the market for trials, you will obtain pertinent and valuable feedbacks as well as the opportunity to improve and make corrections. Provided that you deliberately plan to shoot a certain genre of film, you will probably get the opposite, which is just why so many films with good concepts have nothing touching at all.
Reporter: Some Taiwan filmmakers are concerned that Taiwan films will lose their specific characters along with the increasing exchange across the Strait. What do you think of this opinion?
Niu Chen-zer:I take it as a groundless worry. Compared with Taiwan, a region with a population of 23 million, mainland is a vast market with over 1 billion people and thus can provide more and better possibilities for Taiwan films.
It is an inevitable trend to establish a Chinese film industry centering on the mainland, and Taiwan films are destined to be involved into this system. However, I don’t think that special characters of Taiwan films will disappear though in the future some productions purely meeting demands of mainland market will occur. It is my firm belief that a series of Taiwan filmmakers will adhere to their own values in film creation.
