"They think we like this, so they force this on us" — these few words seemed like we were discussing a Taiwanese drama, but we weren't. We were talking about which movies get screened at Penghu's cinema.
"Can you vote for 'The Greatest Showman,' 'Van Gogh,' and 'Love Education'?" I received a message like this in the morning and didn't understand at first — I thought it was another spam campaign. But after reading more carefully, I realized it was about #PenghuCinema issues.
"Penghu's cinema has few screens and is usually filled with mainstream local films and Hollywood blockbusters, making it hard for niche films to be screened." Penghu currently has only one cinema: #Chung Hsing Cinema, a long-established theater that has been operating for over twenty years and holds many memories for locals.
Chung Hsing Cinema has plenty of charm and warmth, but with only four screens, the theater must prioritize mainstream movies based on box office appeal on the main island to stay profitable. Over time, this means quality independent films are replaced and squeezed out. Penghu residents who want to watch local films have no options — they can only wait for TV broadcasts, which might come months later.
The soon-to-open in89 Grand Cinema in Penghu on February 14th has launched an online voting campaign, inviting locals to vote for "Hidden Gems," available on their Facebook page until 2/8. The highest vote count so far is 83 people. Penghu has a population of 100,000 — this sample size is hardly representative. Fortunately, the top three — 'Bloodywood,' 'The Great Buddha+,' and 'The Greatest Showman' — will still be screened as planned :)
#NonmainstreamMovies can only lose their chance for big-screen releases like this? Or will distributors, finding the sample size insufficient, still choose to show only "popular movies," burying films that actually have an audience and market?
This voting list includes 'Along with the Gods,' 'Coco,' 'The Convenience Store,' 'The Greatest Showman,' 'Love Education,' 'Bloodywood,' 'In Happiness,' 'A Taxi Driver,' and many other films already screened on the main island. We're all citizens of the same country, yet the right to watch and enjoy movies is easily stripped away. Do you accept this? Must islanders really suffer such unfair treatment? Do they have to fly to Taiwan just to watch a movie?
