10 mainland films win lottery to screen in Taiwan

Xu Jinglei directs and stars in a new romantic film called "Somewhere Only We Know." [Photo courtesy of Xu Jinglei]

Taiwan's cultural department only allows 10 movies from the Chinese mainland to be screened on the island, so a lottery approach is used to fill the quota.

Recently, Taiwan's Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development announced the ten films from the Chinese mainland that won the lottery allowing them to be screened in Taiwan in 2015: "A Fool" by Chen Jianbin, "Startling by Each Step" by Song Di, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Xu Jinglei, "The Wrath of Vajra" by Law Wing-Cheong, "Meet Miss Anxiety" by Kwak Jae-Yong, "Dearest" by Peter Chan, "The Door of Happiness" by Qi Weimin and Cao Jing, "The Nightingale" by Philippe Muyl, "The Ghouls" by Wuershan and "The Coffin in the Mountain" by Xin Yukun, Taiwan's Bureau of Adudiovisual and Music Industry Development said.

Most of the films were produced and originally screened in 2014. Only "Somewhere Only We Know," "Startling by Each Step" and "The Ghouls" are upcoming new films in 2015.

Chinese blockbusters "Gone with the Bullets" by Jiang Wen, the top-grossing Chinese film of 2014, "Breakup Buddies" by Ning Hao and "The Taking of Tiger Mountain" by Tsui Hark were all missing from the top 10 slots.

Taiwan's cultural department received 36 submissions from Chinese mainland movie studios for 2015 screening. The department added that if any of the winners of the first 10 spots waive the right to screen their films in Taiwan, films that did not make it into the top 10 spots could serve as substitutes, starting with the No. 11 film. The No.11 film this year is "The Taking of Tiger Mountain."

The lottery approach has long been criticized by the movie industry and the public. Lung Ying-tai, the former head of Taiwan's cultural department, admitted in March 2014 that the quota is "protectionist" and "a little ridiculous."

In the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement signed by the mainland's Association for Relations across the Taiwan Straits and Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation in 2013, Taiwan promised to extend the mainland film quota to 15. However, the agreement has not been approved by Taiwan's legislation.

Taiwan's cultural department amended the policy in 2014 by allowing mainland movies to be freely screened in Taiwan if they win any well-known international awards such as an Oscar or one of Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, even if they are not on the quota list.

According to this rule, "Black Coal, Thin Ice," which won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 64th Berlinale, qualifies for screening in Taiwan.

There were 622 overseas films screened in Taiwan in 2014, a historic new high.

In contrast with Taiwan's policies, China's film bureau does not set any limitations on the number of films from Taiwan allowed to be screened on the Chinese mainland. Any Taiwan-produced film that gets approval through China's film bureau's procedures can be released on the mainland, and mainland-Taiwan co-productions enjoy the same benefits and support that Chinese domestic movies receive.