Jointly produced by France, Spain and Taiwan, the movie “The Last Days of the World,” which has a budget of over NT$400 million, will come to Taichung this week to continue filming. Two months of filming in France and Spain was recently completed. The movie will shoot in Taichung’s business district, hot springs hotels and other interesting locations. The Taichung City Government has extended full cooperation and support in this multinational cooperative effort. The government hopes that “The Last Days of the World” will bring attention and tourists to Taichung just like the hit film Cape No. 7 did to Kenting and Hengchun in southern Taiwan.
“The Last Days of the World” is being directed by the pair of brothers Jean-Marie & Arnaud Larrieu, who have been nominated many times at the Cannes Film Festival. Mathieu Amalric is starring in the film. Amalric played James Bond’s latest nemesis in Quantum of Solace and also previously won Cesar Awards for Best Actor for his leading roles in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Kings and Queen. In “The Last Days of the World,” Amalric plays a man who is confused about love and life. Originally a university professor, he has switched professions to become the European distributor for Asian cypress bathtubs. In an effort to salvage his relationship with his girlfriend, he brings her on a trip to Asia. In the movie, Amalric and his girlfriend browse through interesting areas of Taichung, getting a firsthand glimpse of life in a foreign land.
“The Last Days of the World” originally sought to shoot scenes in places such as Kyoto, Japan, Seoul, South Korea, or even Hong Kong or Singapore. The filmmaking team, however, hoped to find a place that featured a strong contrast like that seen in Mission Impossible, which highlighted the disparity between Shanghai’s skyscrapers and narrow alleyways. In addition, they wanted to go someplace that would be less well known to Western audiences. Ultimately, they decided on Taichung. The Taichung City Government extended its full support to the filmmakers, hoping that the movie would not only be an international hit, but would also trigger a rush of international tourists to the city.
On December 5 when a press conference was held to mark the beginning of shooting of “The Last Days of the World,” the city government also announced the establishment of the Taichung City Government Film Commission. The organization will provide services to domestic and international filmmakers and television show producers, and it hopes to attract more projects to shoot on location in Taichung.
