Central Motion Picture Corporation

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Central Motion Picture Corporation (CMPC; Chinese: 中影股份有限公司; pinyin: Zhōngyǐng Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), also known as Zhong Ying (Chinese: 中影) was established in 1954. It was formed through the merger of the Agricultural Educational Film Company and Taiwan Film Corporation. Like the China Television Company and the Broadcasting Corporation of China, it was operated under the party of Kuomintang (KMT) as well as the government.

During its early years, CMPC's film production and activities were closely linked to the government’s policies. In 1974, CMPC constructed Chinese Culture and Movie Center (Chinese: 中影文化城), the largest outdoor production studio in Asia at the time. With its professional film production talents and facilities, CMPC produced many notable films and was the only comprehensive film production company in Taiwan.

In 2005, CMPC was privatized under the Chen Shui-bian administration. KMT withdrew from CMPC's controlling ownership. In 2009, Gou Tai-chiang [zh] became the chairman of CMPC. He revitalized the original film resources and restored the existing film post-production center by upgrading to digital photography, Dolby recording, digital editing, and digital printing. CMPC operates four cinemas throughout Taiwan, including Blossom Cinema (Chinese: 梅花數位影院), Pingtung Cinema (Chinese: 屏東影城), Taipei Wonderful Theatre (Chinese: 台北真善美劇院), and Tainan Wonderful Theatre (Chinese: 台南真善美劇院). Its film and television production studio is still in operation, while its CMPC Cultural and Creative Park closed in 2015.

Nineteen movie theaters run by the Japanese were put under the supervision of the Propaganda Committee of the Taiwan Provincial Administration after World War II when Taiwan was returned to the Republic of China. After the Taiwan Provincial Government was established in May 1947, these movie theaters were taken over by the KMT's Taiwan Provincial Party Branch to, adding one more theater, form Taiwan Film Corporation on October 1, 1947. Its main business was the operation of movie theaters and the distribution of films. On November 13, 1953, Taiwan Film Corporation completed the official registration as a company.

The Agricultural Educational Film Company was established in March 1946, with the aim of promoting agricultural education assisted by electrical devices in the countryside and improving the knowledge level of farmers. Its headquarters was located in Chongqing, and its production studio was in Nanjing. The headquarters was moved to Nanjing in May, only to be relocated again to Taipei, Taiwan in August 1949. The production studio was rebuilt in the eastern district of Taichung City, which was originally the residence of Matsuo Okawa, the president of Taiwan News during the Japanese colonial period.^[1] In November 1950, Agricultural Educational Film Company began its film production and made its first feature film, Nightmare Awakening (惡夢初醒), in collaboration with the China Film Studio (中國電影製片廠).^[2] Chiang Ching-kuo, the chairman at that time, personally presided over the opening ceremony at the Taichung studio.^[3]

The Agricultural Educational Film Company and Taiwan Film Corporation merged on September 1, 1954, to form the Central Motion Picture Corporation (CMPC) hoping to support domestic film production with boxoffice revenue. Tai An-kuo [zh] served as the first chairman, and Li Ye (李葉) as the first president. Later that year, CMPC released its debut feature film, By the Hillside (梅崗春回), followed by its first commissioned film Shan Di Gu Niang (山地姑娘) on October 1, 1955. CMPC began accepting commissions to shoot Taiwanese language films (台語片)  in 1956, such as Craving for the Spring Wind (望春風).^[3] CMPC Taichung studio was burned down in a fire on July 17, 1959, when the Sanyuan Film Company was shooting there.^[4] Consequently, CMPC decided to build a new studio in Shilin, Taipei, in 1960.^[5]

CMPC's initial foray into color film production began with the production of Oyster Girl (蚵女) in 1963, which earned the Best Drama Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. This film not only marked the inception of CMPC's "Healthy Realism" approach but also paved the way for a new era in Taiwan cinema and presented a fresh cultural identity to the global audience.^[6] In 1972, Koo Chen-fu became the chairman and planned to establish CMPC Studio. In January 1975, CMPC Studio was completed, occupying an area of 16,000 square meters. It was the largest professional outdoor shooting base in Asia at that time.^[7]

CMPC made a series of patriotic films in the 1970s, when Taiwan suffered devastating setbacks of foreign relations, such as being expelled from the United Nations in 1975. Most of these films depict national heroes or heroic actions taken by soldiers or ordinary people against the Japanese during World War II, such as Everlasting Glory (英烈千秋; 1974), Victory (梅花; 1976), and Eight Hundred Heroes (八百壯士; 1976).

Starting in 1982, CMPC began to produce small-budgeted films about contemporary life instead of genre films. Films such as In Our Time (光陰的故事; 1982), That Day on the Beach (海灘的一天; 1983), Growing Up (小畢的故事; 1983), The Sandwichman (兒子的大玩偶; 1983), and Looking out at the Sea (看海的日子; 1984), etc, and helped create the new wave of New Taiwan Cinema.

In 2005, the KMT party sold its shares of CMPC. Starting from 2009, Gou Tai-chiang [zh] was the chairman of the new CMPC and restored the post-production center. That same year, CMPC changed its name to Central Pictures Corporation. It placed all of its 947 films to the Chinese Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute for preservation.^[3] It invested in and produced many films, including Jump Ashin! (翻滾吧！阿信; 2011), Seediq Bale (賽德克‧巴萊; 2011), Girlfriend Boyfriend (女朋友‧男朋友; 2012), Zone Pro Site (總鋪師; 2013), KANO (2014), and The Assassin (刺客聶隱娘; 2015).

In July 2019, the former Taiwan Studio City, located in Wufeng District, Taichung City, was transformed into the "Central Taiwan Film Studios", which became the largest indoor soundstage and the only water tank shooting facility in Taiwan. It is operated by the Taichung City Government through a public-private partnership, with Central Pictures Corporation acquiring 15-year operation rights.

On August 23, 2021, Central Pictures Corporation and the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee signed an administrative settlement agreement. Central Pictures Corporation paid NT$950 million to the government for the understated assets of the company when it was sold in 2005. The copyrights of the 330 Taiwan films it owned were transferred to National Development Council and then donated to Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute in 2023.^[8]

Central Motion Picture Corporation