Background
Many Hollywood films have tried to shine a light on Chinese culture and politics for American audiences, though none has yet to do so from Taiwan’s unique political perspective. While films such as Red Corner, The Last Emperor, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, are among the most well-known American films dealing with Chinese culture, those movies did not deal specifically with the political and social issues facing Taiwan and America.
Formosa Betrayed will enlighten a global audience on the real story behind Taiwan’s political history, by focusing on the tragic murder of a Taiwanese professor who was killed solely for his courage to speak out for an independent and democratic Taiwan.
Based on actual events which happened to Taiwanese professors and graduate students throughout the United States in the 1970s and 80s, Formosa Betrayed will expose for the first time the brutal techniques that the Nationalist Chinese Government on Taiwan used to quell dissent in their desire to reunite Taiwan with mainland China.
Most people outside of Taiwan and China are unaware of the history surrounding Taiwan’s political status. Formosa Betrayed will be the first opportunity for a mass audience to get a glimpse into the human story behind Taiwan’s struggle for identity on a world stage.
We believe Formosa Betrayed will have a far reach with American movie-goers, as well as audiences in Asia and Europe. The film’s genre, the political thriller (e.g., Syriana, The Good Shepard, Rendition) is already a tremendously popular form of entertainment, but in this case will be seen from a unique cultural perspective. The proof for this is the unprecedented press coverage Formosa Betrayed has received even before one frame of film has been shot.
The importance of this film, combined with the timing of the 2008 Presidential Elections in Taiwan and the United States – and most importantly, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics – makes Formosa Betrayed uniquely poised to capitalize on this historic opportunity to increase American and worldwide interest into the complex world of Taiwan-China-U.S. relations.
(漢文)