Premiere of Taichung Film Subsidy Production “As We Like It”, Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen Shows Support
“As We Like It” received subsidies and film assistance from the Taichung City Government, and was co-directed by Taiwan’s renowned director Chen Hung-I and theater director Muni Wei. It was the only film from Taiwan to be selected for the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands this year. The main roles of the film are played by only actresses, and the premiere of the film was held at the Vie Show Cinemas at Top City in Taichung this evening (10th). Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen arrived on site to show her support in person, and she invited the whole country to go to a cinema to support the “woman power” of this locally produced film. She anticipated that the film would create box office success.
At the premiere tonight, directors Chen Hung-I and Muni Wei led actors Tsao Lan and Helena Hsu to meet with fans and share their experience of making the film in Taichung. Actress Tsao Lan even mimicked Mayor Lu announcing the good news of Taichung MRT’s trial operation, and Mayor Lu praised Tsao Lan as the “Queen of Mimicry” at this laughter-filled event.
Mayor Lu said that Taichung is fully committed to the development of the film and television industry and has been providing subsidies and production services to film production crews for a long time. “As We Like It” is a very interesting film, with all the main roles played by women, but they were still able to create a wide variety of characters, which was quite an impressive feat. She hoped that everyone will go to movie theaters to support locally-produced films and welcomed more film production companies to come to Taichung.
Director Chen Hung-I pointed out that he had come to Taichung to work with an advertising team in the past and was impressed by the wonderful weather in Taichung. This time, he wanted to shoot the film in a city other than Taipei, and Taichung was the first place that came to mind. He could feel the warmth of the people of Taichung when they went to different places to shoot the film. He would also like to thank the Information Bureau of the Taichung City Government and Taichung Film Development Foundation for their support.
Director Muni Wei also said that “As We Like It” is a film that emphasizes the blossoming of women, and thanked Mayor Lu for coming to show her support as a female government leader. Filming in Taichung was a very pleasant and relaxing experience, which is a great thing for filmmakers.
Actress Tsao Lan mentioned that it was thanks to the city government’s strong support that the crew came to Taichung to shoot the film. Taichung is a foodies paradise, whenever she visited Taichung in her spare time, she could see that Taichung is a happy city full of culture, good food, and convenient transportation.
The Information Bureau said that “As We Like It” was co-directed by the well-known husband and wife directorial team Chen Hung-I and Muni Wei, and it was also Muni Wei’s first feature film, where almost all the male characters in the film are performed by actresses. Many of the fantasy scenes in the film are set in Taichung, including Taichung Park, SOF Hotel in Central District, Potential Kendo Association and Chingjia Yunyan Building in Xitun District, Homerun Billiards in Fengyuan District, and Baili Used Bookstore in Beitun District.
“As We Like It” is based on a Shakespearean comedy and tells the story of four lovers’ games of romance and the intertwining of love and hate between two generations. The entire film is vibrantly colorful and energetic, with a fairy-tale setting, magical encounters, mysterious signals, lots of music, and a puppet theater-like design, creating a love-filled extravaganza. The film was the most talked-about topic for this year’s White Day (reciprocal gifting day for Valentine’s Day). The film features a gorgeous cast of popular actresses, such as Puff Kuo, Aggie Hsieh, Esther Huang, Joelle Lu, Camille Chalons, Tsao Lan, Chung Hsin-Ling, and Helena Hsu. The movie will be released on March 12 and is expected to continue the Taiwanese film craze and create box office success.