A local website is lauding Taichung as Taiwan’s “capital of the new movies,” as the city’s shooting locations account for half of those on the list of the “10 top locations for made-in-Taiwan movies.”

The DailyView used the frequency of key words used in searches between April and Oct. to gauge netizens’ responses to the filming sites, and found that the most talked-about city is not the capital, Taipei, but Taichung.

Movies on the list include locations for Oscar-winning director Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi”, baseball movie “Kano”, fighter pilot film “Dream High”, and Giddens Ko’s “Cafe Waiting Love”.

The website said the popularity of locally made movies has helped boost tourism and the creative industry, and has become a good way to market a city.

It cited the example of the 1989 film “A City of Sadness” directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, which successfully made the township of Jiufen in then-Taipei County into an internationally known scenic spot.

 

image via Digititles