Lin Chun-yang, the Best Director of the Golden Bell Awards for The World Between Us, joined hands with Li Yao-hua, the gold medal producer of Detention, to create a sympathetic and shocking film Eye of the Storm. The premiere was held today (11) at the Shin Kong Cinemas in Taichung. Mayor Lu Hsiu-yen attended the event and expressed that Taichung is an important base for film and television. The city government supports not only location, but also production and subsidies, because city government treats it as its own productions and provide full support. She hopes that after watching this film, everyone can empathize and promote it vigorously, and support it by going to the cinema “together”.

At the premiere, Mayor Lu, producer Li Yao-hua, director Lin Chun-yang, and lead actress Chloe Xiang took a photo together. The film crew presented Mayor Lu with a signed movie poster, and she also gave the crew a local Wufeng liquor gift box, hoping that the power of film can lead everyone to say goodbye to the epidemic and enter the cinema. She hopes that Eye of the Storm will be succeeded at the box office.

Mayor Lu expressed that this film is very meaningful and has a connection to everyone. When SARS occurred 20 years ago, everyone thought it was an unprecedented epidemic of the century. But 20 years later, COVID-19 happened, and the whole world was severely affected. When facing separation, death, and disasters, there must be many stories about how to be brave and strong to face them. She especially thanked the producer and director for presenting these stories through the film.

Mayor Lu pointed out that the Taichung City government provided subsidies for this film, and also collaborated in co-production. For example, the main scene is the old Taichung Cheng-ching Hospital, which was about to be demolished to build a new municipal hospital, but in order to support films of Taiwan and meet the needs of the crew, the city government coordinated the demolition schedule and postponed it to provide the venue for filming. Therefore, many hospital scenes in the film were shot in Taichung.

Mayor Lu mentioned that the producer of Eye of the Storm, Mr. Li, is also a committee member of the Taichung Film Development Foundation and has played an important role in making Taichung a significant base for film and television over the years. Therefore, the city government must fully support the films produced by him. In addition, there were many well-known and excellent crew involved, such as Golden Bell director Lin Jun-yang and all the cast members, who are the best choice, and the film is definitely the best Taiwanese film. Mayor Lu sincerely recommends everyone to watch this great movie.

The director Lin Jun-yang mentioned the challenges faced during filming, saying that the hospital setting was crucial to the film, and the team finally found the perfect location at the old Cheng-Ching Hospital in Taichung. However, while they were already in the process of designing the setting, they learned that the hospital was going to be demolished. Thanks to the assistance from the city government, the crew was able to capture the beautiful aspect of the building before its demolition.

Producer Li expressed his gratitude to Mayor Lu for endorsing the film. He mentioned that when they were filming in Taichung last year, the city government, Taichung Film Development Foundation, and Information Bureau all provided great assistance. He was very happy to have the opportunity to bring the film to Taichung before its release and hoped that it would receive positive feedback from the city's audience. Actress Chloe Xiang also expressed her hope that through the development of the plot, the audience can see the struggles and decisions of different characters and “empathize” with them. She believed that this process would be a very special experience, and after watching the film, everyone could feel the warmth and faith that the film aims to convey.

The Information Bureau stated that the backdrop of Eye of the Storm is the hospital lockdown after the outbreak of SARS 20 years ago, and with the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, government agencies and healthcare workers have worked tirelessly. During the pandemic, the city government team cooperated with the leader of the Director-General of the Health Bureau, Tseng Tzu-chan, to win eight major awards from the central government for vaccines and COVID-19 response measures, and launched the Central Epidemic Command Center Press Conference and epidemic information promotion, allowing citizens to better understand the city's epidemic prevention policies and achieve the power of stabilizing the people's hearts. The bureau also hopes that this film will allow audiences to see the perseverance of healthcare workers and the brilliance of humanity. The Information Bureau pointed out that a large number of hospital scenes in Eye of the Storm were filmed in Taichung. In order to present the era of the drama, the city government and China Medical University Hospital coordinated the demolition schedule of the old Cheng- Ching Hospital and lent the location to the crew for filming. In addition, the Taichung Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare also lent the crew scenes, allowing the film to be presented in the most authentic way. This film, which took three years from planning to completion, was shot successfully.

The News Bureau stated that the movie Eye of Storm is produced by an award-winning team, with the collaboration of Golden Medal Producer Li Yao-hua, Golden Bell Award-winning Director Lin Chun-yang, and cast including Wang Po-chieh, Tseng Ching-hua, Chloe Xiang, Xue Shi-ling, and a special starring by Golden Horse Award-winning Best Actress Hsieh Ying-hsuan. The movie will be released in theaters across Taiwan on April 14th. The Information Bureau welcomes everyone to support the movie by watching it in theaters, and hopes that Eye of the Storm will be succeeded at the box office.