Department of Cultural Affairs

By Ya-an Chan
Staff Writter

The cast of "When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep," including actor Kai Ko and actress Chien Man-shu, livened the mood at a press conference for the movie at Taipei City Hall on November 5, 2012. Cast members brought the fried rice dishes seen in the movie to life through team cooking activities as a gesture to wish for success for the film, as well as to promote the cuisine and sightseeing opportunities found in Taipei's Nanyang Street. The film was completed with the support of the Taipei Film Commission (TFC) and the Taipei City's Department of Cultural Affairs, which coordinated the large-scale closing of Nanyang Street, the most famous "cram school" street in Taipei, when scenes were shot there.

Besides praising the film for winning first prize in TFC's first annual screenplay competition and earning NT$4 million worth of film production subsidies from DOCA, Lin Hui-fen, Deputy Commissioner of the city's Department of Cultural Affairs, pointed out that the film is the result of constructive cooperation between the TFC and various bureaus and departments of the city government as well as local residents and students. Lin said she hopes the film will achieve international success and attract tourists to visit Nanyang Street for cuisine and sightseeing, just as the movie "Monga" did for the Bopiliao block of restored buildings in the city's Wanhua District.

Director Hou Chi-jan also thanked the TFC for its policy in assisting all aspects of filmmaking. He noted that in many aspects, from screenplay competition, budget, cooperative filming and cooperative marketing to international publicity, a comprehensive series of assistance funds will definitely help to increase the presence of movies made in Taiwan on global screens in the future.

"When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep" is the first movie ever set in the Nanyang Street area. The youthful, heart-warming romantic comedy involves a young man working at a photocopy shop and a girl working at a cram school as a teacher's assistant. It brings a different atmosphere to the otherwise stress-loaded Nanyang Street scene.

TFC has held screenplay competitions for four years now, with 17 movie scripts selected for development so far.