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Summary Taiwan's home-grown films are winning awards and hit status overseas thanks to new filmmakers.
After a slump of over a decade, Taiwans home-grown films are not only sweeping box offices at home but winning awards and hit status overseas thanks to a new cohort of filmmakers.Box office revenues for local films as of mid-November had already set a new record of Tw$1.5 billion ($50 million) -- triple the 2010 full-year figure, and up a staggering 200-fold from 2001.Once best known for its arthouse films, the island has recently produced blockbusters with broad appeal thanks to themes that resonate with large swathes of the public.Monga, which topped the local box office in 2010 and was screened at the Berlin film festival, portrays a brotherhood of five boys and touches on social issues such as gang violence and teenage bullying.This years hit Night Market Hero depicts street vendors standing up against ruthless developers, while Jump Ashin tells the true story of a struggling gymnast-turned-coach.
