Legislator Questions Subsidized Film's Dismal Box Office, Hakka Affairs Council Promises Review

The Legislative Yuan continued its general interpellation today. Legislator Lin Szu-ming focused on Hakka issues and the progress of major construction projects in Hsinchu County, including Hsinchu Science Park Phase III and the Taiwan Knowledge Economy Park. Lin Szu-ming stated that the Hakka Affairs Council recently subsidized the filming of the movie "The Photo of Us" with NT$57 million, but its final box office only recovered NT$9.05 million. He suggested that without group viewings, the box office might have been even worse. Furthermore, the film, centered on the Zhongli Incident, received poor reviews from some Hakka language teachers, who criticized its emphasis on aesthetic visuals over clear storytelling. Lin Szu-ming questioned whether taxpayers' money was being wasted. He argued that while the Hakka Affairs Council intended to foster the Hakka spirit when subsidizing the film, the outcome showed that such a large expenditure failed to effectively promote Hakka culture, and thus a review was necessary. Ku Hsiu-fei indicated her dissatisfaction with both the box office performance and the narrative content, acknowledging room for review. She stated that the Hakka Affairs Council must face this review, as the Zhongli Incident is a very important event for Taiwan and the Hakka people. In addition, the Legislative Yuan recently passed a second reading of a preliminary expenditure proposal for NT$71.8 billion in new projects, including TPASS, put forth by the KMT and TPP caucuses. However, the Executive Yuan stated that this resolution was unprecedented and that 'temporarily agreeing to allocate funds' did not comply with the Constitution and the Budget Act, which would create uncertainty in budget execution. Lin Szu-ming asked whether the Executive Yuan would implement this proposal. Premier Cho Jung-tai said that the Executive Yuan's argument was for full implementation, not non-implementation, and pleaded with the Legislative Yuan not to selectively use resolutions to fragment the central government's general budget. He also noted that recent heavy rains meant disaster relief funds and contingency reserves could not be used. Lin Szu-ming responded that other public budgets could be utilized. (Editor: Zhai Szu-chia) 1150407