Big-budget productions like “Lucy” or “Silence” have put Taiwan on the international filmmaking map. Now, a new project called “Loveboat, Taipei”, adapted from a bestselling novel by Abigail Hing Wen, will become the latest movie shot in Taiwan.
The 10-million-dollar movie “Loveboat, Taipei” has begun filming in Taiwan. It is a co-production between Taiwan’s 1Production and Hollywood-based ACE Entertainment Films.
“Loveboat, Taipei” follows big budget productions like “Lucy” and “Silence”, which were also shot in Taiwan. Director Arvin Chen, producer Matthias Mellinghaus, author Abigail Hing Wen, as well as actors Mason Lee and Janet Hsieh met with the media on Wednesday.
“Loveboat, Taipei” has been adapted for the big screen from a bestselling novel by Asian-American writer Abigail Hing Wen. The story is set against the backdrop of the Overseas Compatriot Youth Taiwan Study Tour - a summer study program for college-aged students of Taiwanese and ethnic Chinese backgrounds. The program was started in 1967 and continues to this day. It is informally known as the Love Boat.
The author hopes that characters in her story will add variation to typical, mainstream representations of Asians in Hollywood, where characters of Chinese and other Asian backgrounds are often boiled down to just good-looking and smart.
Mason Lee, the son of Academy Award-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee, says that there are a few prevalent stereotypes of Chinese-Americans in mainstream American culture. Those characters are often nerds or hunks. He hopes that audiences will be able to see a more varied cast of personalities in the upcoming movie.
Actress Janet Hsieh says that a story like this one could bring about even more opportunities for Asian filmmakers. She says this is just a beginning, and she hopes more movies will be made by Taiwanese directors in Taiwan.
Director Arvin Chen says that his background is also Chinese, and that this is the first time he is cooperating with a Hollywood crew. He says that differences in movie-making cultures are both interesting and a source of challenge. However, he says that the language of cinema is common for everyone, and it won’t be a problem for this unique Taiwan-Hollywood production.