After the success of Korean smash hit Parasite at the recent Oscars, Asian cinema and Asia as a destination as a whole is firmly in the public eye. You already know Taiwan is home to the great Ang Lee, but did you know that the country has been used as a filming location for several films, TV shows and commercials over the years? Here’s a list of five you might not have realized were filmed here in Taiwan.
Life of Pi (2012)
Dir Lee Ang
Academy Award-winning Life of Pi,directed by Taiwan’s own Ang Lee, and based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name, tells the magical tale of young Pi Patel and his quest to survive on a lifeboat adrift in the middle of nowhere, while accompanied by a hyena and a Bengal tiger. The film was shot in Pingtung county on Taiwan’s southeast coast at White Banyan Park (屏東白榕園) in Manzhou Township, Pingtung. Taipei Zoo was also used as a shooting location.
▲ White Banyan Park (屏東白榕園) in Manzhou
Silence (2016)
Dir Martin Scorsese
Historical drama, Silence, directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese and starring the likes of Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield and Liam Neeson, was filmed entirely in Taiwan, with studios and shooting locations in Taipei, Taichung and Hualien county, such as Shimen Cave and the Can Guang Liao (燦光寮) trail in Jinguashi. (Read more: Jiufen and Jinguashi: Taiwan’s Golden Getaways)
▲ Shimen Cave in Hualien
Lucy (2016)
Dir Luc Besson
Starring Hollywood heavyweights Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, Lucy is a French sci-fi film shot in Paris, New York and also Taipei. The Taipei locations were Taipei 101, Xinyi district and the Regent Taipei hotel. (Read Also: A Perfect Day in Taipei’s Xinyi District)
▲ Xinyi district & Taipei 101
SK-II commercial
Cate Blanchett fronted a SK-II Facial Treatment Essence commercial shot in a bamboo forest in Xitou, Nantou county. Thus making her the only actress in the world with two Oscars to go to Nantou, probably…
▲ Bamboo forest in Xitou.
Call of Duty Online commercial
This action-packed Call of Duty commercial starring Captain America himself, Chris Evans, was shot in Agenna Shipyard (阿根納造船廠) in Keelung. We’re not convinced he actually understands his teammates, but he is acting after all…
▲ Agenna Shipyard (阿根納造船廠) in Keelung.
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