Taiwan changes rules for mainland actors

The new policy allows mainland Chinese actors to make up one third of the total number of actors in a Taiwanese film or Taiwan-foreign co-production. Previously only two mainland actors were allowed on each film.

However, the number of mainland actors should not exceed the number of Taiwanese actors.

You Chen-kuo, an official from GIO’s Motion Pictures Department, said the amendment updates a policy introduced in 2007, which also allows mainland directors to work in Taiwan and on Taiwanese film productions.

The new policies were introduced in response to the increasing number of co-productions between Taiwan and mainland China over the past two years. The GIO is hoping to keep more productions in Taiwan – both for shooting and post-production – rather than the current situation in which many productions shoot in China to accommodate the mainland actors.

According to the GIO, there have been about ten Taiwanese productions with mainland actors over the past two years including Yonfan’s Venice competition title Prince Of Tears, starring Wing Fan.