Set to unveil in May, the Cannes Film Festival announced to select Taiwanese film “Silk” as one of the Feature Films in Official Selection, Out of Competition. Since the festival’s inauguration in 1939, this is the first Taiwanese sci-fi thriller film being selected in the category. In recent years, films officially selected in “out of competition” category are generally believed by industry players as high quality blockbuster films with considerable production values. Also selected in the category is Hollywood blockbuster “X-Men: The Last Stand”. “Silk” is written and directed by Su Chao-pin, scriptwriter of “Double Vision”, and is his debut film in sci-fi genre. It is dubbed as the most expensive film in Taiwan filmmaking history, and it was granted NT$13 million(US＄4 million) by Government Information Office’s Subsidy For Film Production in 2004. The film’s star-studded cast includes Asian stars such as Chang Chen, Karena Lam, Hsu Hsi-yuan, Chen Bo-lin, Chang Jyun-ning and Japanese star Yosuke Eguchi. It also recruited cinematographer Arthur Wong, winner of Best Cinematographer at Golden Horse Awards, Yohei Taneda, production designer of “Kill Bill”, Cheung Ka-fai, editor of “One Night in Mongkok” and various crew members with Hollywood experiences. The film can be seen as a turning point for Taiwanese movies to become internationalized. The 2006 Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 17 to May 28. The director and main actors of “Silk” will attend screenings and promotional events for the film during the festival, greeting with international media.
