By Sean Lin / Staff reporterNew Party Taipei City Councilor Chen Yan-po (陳彥伯) yesterday said that the Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs handed out large subsidies for the production of films that were never screened, or those whose box-office showings failed to justify the funding. The movies were subsidized by the Taipei Film Commission, which is overseen by the department. Another film, titled The Last Painting (自畫像), received NT$4 million and was finished six months ago, but has not been released yet, he said. At least seven films earned less than what their production team received in grants, while 11 earned marginally more, he said. The department, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism and the Taipei Department of Education should hold a news conference before sponsoring a film, inviting directors and actors to help the films gain publicity, Chen said, adding that promotion is the most important work to help a film achieve commercial success.

Source: Taipei Times May 16, 2017 16:57 UTC