Central Pictures Corporation

Central Pictures Corporation, historically known as Central Motion Picture Corporation or CMPC, is a Taiwanese film-production, post-production, cinema, and studio-services company. It was created in 1954 through the merger of the Agricultural Educational Film Company and Taiwan Film Corporation. The organization developed within the institutional orbit of the Kuomintang and the Republic of China government, alongside other major party- and state-linked media enterprises. Its early activities combined film production with cinema operation and distribution, and its work was closely connected to official cultural and political objectives. The company's predecessor organizations had different origins. The Agricultural Educational Film Company was established in 1946 to use films and other audiovisual tools for agricultural education. After relocating to Taiwan in 1949, it began producing films and completed Nightmare Awakening in cooperation with China Film Studio in 1950. Taiwan Film Corporation, established in 1947 and formally registered in 1953, grew out of the postwar administration of cinemas previously operated under Japanese rule. Its principal activities were cinema operation and film distribution. Their merger on September 1, 1954 created CMPC with the stated objective of supporting domestic film production through revenue from film exhibition. CMPC expanded its technical base during the 1950s and 1960s. A fire destroyed its Taichung studio in 1959, prompting the construction of a new facility in Taipei's Shilin area. In 1963, Oyster Girl became the company's first major color-film production and won the Best Drama Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. The film is associated with CMPC's healthy-realism approach, which emphasized socially grounded stories, local life, and a constructive national cultural identity. In the 1970s, the company also produced patriotic and historical films, including Everlasting Glory, Victory, and Eight Hundred Heroes. A major infrastructure milestone came with the completion of CMPC Studio in January 1975. Located on approximately 16,000 square meters, the outdoor production base was described at the time as Asia's largest professional outdoor shooting facility. The studio helped make CMPC Taiwan's most comprehensive film-production organization, combining production talent, physical sets, post-production capabilities, and exhibition activities. From 1982 onward, CMPC shifted significant attention toward lower-budget films focused on contemporary Taiwanese life. Productions such as In Our Time, That Day on the Beach, Growing Up, The Sandwichman, and Looking out at the Sea became associated with the New Taiwan Cinema movement. These films helped introduce new directors, writers, performers, and social perspectives, and they remain an important part of the company's cultural legacy. The company was privatized in 2005 when the Kuomintang sold its controlling shares. In 2009, under chairman Gou Tai-chiang, CMPC began a restructuring and revitalization program. The company restored its post-production center and upgraded it with digital cinematography, Dolby recording, digital editing, and digital printing. It also adopted the English name Central Pictures Corporation. During this period it invested in or produced films including Jump Ashin!, Seediq Bale, Girlfriend Boyfriend, Zone Pro Site, KANO, and The Assassin. CMPC has also remained involved in preservation and exhibition. It placed 947 films with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute for preservation, while its cinema operations have included Blossom Cinema, Pingtung Cinema, Taipei Wonderful Theatre, and Tainan Wonderful Theatre. Its CMPC Cultural and Creative Park closed in 2015. In 2019, the former Taiwan Studio City in Taichung was converted into Central Taiwan Film Studios, a facility featuring a large indoor soundstage and Taiwan's only water-tank shooting facility at the time. CMPC obtained a 15-year operating right thro…

Central Pictures Corporation traces its institutional history to two postwar organizations. The Agricultural Educational Film Company was founded in March 1946 to promote agricultural education through audiovisual materials. Its headquarters began in Chongqing, while production was initially based in Nanjing. After moving to Taiwan in 1949, the organization rebuilt a production facility in Taichung and began producing films. Its first feature, Nightmare Awakening, was made in cooperation with China Film Studio in 1950. Taiwan Film Corporation emerged from the postwar administration of cinemas previously operated by Japanese interests. After World War II, nineteen theaters were placed under the supervision of Taiwan's provincial propaganda authorities. In 1947, the Kuomintang's Taiwan Provincial Party Branch organized these cinemas, together with another theater, into Taiwan Film Corporation. The company was formally registered in 1953 and concentrated on theater operation and film distribution. On September 1, 1954, the two organizations merged to create Central Motion Picture Corporation. The new company was intended to use box-office income to support domestic film production. Tai An-kuo became its first chairman and Li Ye its first president. CMPC released its first feature, By the Hillside, later in 1954, and produced the commissioned film Shan Di Gu Niang in 1955. From 1956 it also accepted commissions for Taiwanese-language films, including Craving for the Spring Wind. A studio fire in Taichung on July 17, 1959, destroyed the company's original production base while another company was filming there. CMPC responded by planning a new studio in Taipei's Shilin district, completed in the early 1960s. The company's first major color-film production, Oyster Girl, appeared in 1963 and received the Best Drama Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival. Its socially oriented style became associated with healthy realism and contributed to the development of a distinct Taiwanese cinematic identity. During the 1970s, CMPC produced patriotic and historical pictures in a period marked by Taiwan's diplomatic isolation and departure from the United Nations. Examples included Everlasting Glory, Victory, and Eight Hundred Heroes. In parallel, the company expanded its physical infrastructure. Koo Chen-fu became chairman in 1972, and the company planned a major studio complex. CMPC Studio was completed in January 1975 on approximately 16,000 square meters and was described as Asia's largest professional outdoor shooting base at that time. The company's most influential creative period began in the early 1980s. From 1982, CMPC increasingly backed relatively small-budget films about contemporary social experience rather than relying primarily on conventional genre or patriotic productions. In Our Time, That Day on the Beach, Growing Up, The Sandwichman, and Looking out at the Sea helped launch or consolidate the New Taiwan Cinema movement. These works brought new directors and forms of storytelling into the mainstream and made everyday Taiwanese life a major subject of local cinema. In 2005, the Kuomintang sold its controlling interest and CMPC was privatized. In 2009, Gou Tai-chiang became chairman. The company restored its post-production center and upgraded it for digital cinematography, Dolby sound recording, digital editing, and digital printing. It also adopted the Central Pictures Corporation name and continued investing in prominent Taiwanese productions, including Jump Ashin!, Seediq Bale, Girlfriend Boyfriend, Zone Pro Site, KANO, and The Assassin. CMPC's later role extended beyond production. It operated cinemas in Taiwan and transferred 947 films to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute for preservation. The CMPC Cultural and Creative Park closed in 2015. In July 2019, the former Taiwan Studio City in Taichung became Central Taiwan Film Studios. The facility includes Taiwan's largest indoor soundstage and its only water-tank shooting facility as described in the available reference material, and CMPC received a 15-year operating concession through a partnership with the Taichung City Government. The company's privatization continued to have legal and political consequences. On August 23, 2021, CMPC and the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee signed an administrative settlement. CMPC paid NT$950 million concerning assets said to have been understated during the 2005 sale. Copyrights to 330 Taiwanese films were subsequently transferred to the National Development Council and donated to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute in 2023. The company consequently remains both a commercial screen-industry operator and a significant participant in the preservation of Taiwan's film history.

1. 2023Film copyrights enter national preservation custody

   Copyrights to 330 Taiwanese films are donated to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute after transfer through the settlement process.

   Source
2. 2021Administrative settlement over privatization-era assets

   CMPC signs a settlement with the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee and agrees to pay NT$950 million.

   Source
3. 2019Central Taiwan Film Studios begins operation

   The former Taiwan Studio City in Taichung is converted into a major soundstage and water-tank facility under a 15-year operating arrangement.

   Source
4. 2009Corporate revitalization and rebranding

   Gou Tai-chiang becomes chairman, post-production infrastructure is modernized, and the company adopts the Central Pictures Corporation name.

   Source
5. 2005Privatization

   The Kuomintang sells its controlling shares in CMPC.

   Source
6. 1982CMPC begins its New Taiwan Cinema-era production shift

   The company starts emphasizing smaller-budget films about contemporary life.

   Source
7. 1975CMPC Studio opens

   The 16,000-square-meter outdoor production base is completed and described as the largest of its kind in Asia at the time.

   Source
8. 1963Oyster Girl advances CMPC's color-film and realism program

   The film wins the Asia Pacific Film Festival's Best Drama Award and becomes associated with healthy realism.

   Source
9. 1959Taichung studio is destroyed by fire

   A fire at the Taichung studio leads CMPC to develop a replacement facility in Taipei's Shilin district.

   Source
10. 1954Central Motion Picture Corporation is founded

    The Agricultural Educational Film Company and Taiwan Film Corporation merge on September 1.

    Source
11. 1947Taiwan Film Corporation is organized

    A cinema-operation and film-distribution company is formed from theaters administered after the end of Japanese rule.

    Source
12. 1946Agricultural Educational Film Company is established

    The predecessor organization is founded to promote agricultural education through audiovisual materials.

    Source

A vertically integrated Taiwanese film institution spanning production, studio infrastructure, post-production, exhibition, and preservation, with a historic role in both state-linked cinema and New Taiwan Cinema.

• Feature-film productionFilm production1954

  CMPC has produced and financed Taiwanese feature films across patriotic cinema, healthy realism, New Taiwan Cinema, commercial entertainment, historical epics, and auteur-oriented projects. Its catalogue includes early postwar productions, 1980s contemporary dramas, and later investments such as Jump Ashin!, Seediq Bale, Girlfriend Boyfriend, Zone Pro Site, KANO, and The Assassin.

• Film and television production servicesProduction services1954

  The company's studio network and production personnel support film and television shooting in Taiwan. Its facilities have historically included outdoor sets and, through Central Taiwan Film Studios, large indoor soundstage capacity and water-tank shooting infrastructure.

• Post-production servicesPost-production2009

  CMPC restored and modernized its post-production center from 2009 onward, adding digital photography workflows, Dolby recording, digital editing, and digital printing. These capabilities support the finishing and preservation of motion-picture projects.

• Cinema exhibitionCinema operations1947

  Cinema operation is part of CMPC's original business heritage through Taiwan Film Corporation. The company has operated or managed venues including Blossom Cinema, Pingtung Cinema, Taipei Wonderful Theatre, and Tainan Wonderful Theatre.

• Central Taiwan Film StudiosFilm studio2019

  Opened in 2019 through the conversion of the former Taiwan Studio City in Taichung, the complex provides indoor soundstage capacity and a water-tank shooting facility. CMPC operates it under a public-private arrangement with a 15-year operating right.

• 2021Settlement concerning historical company assetsOther

  Public authorities reviewed the transfer of CMPC assets during the 2005 privatization.

  What changed. CMPC signed an administrative settlement and paid NT$950 million to the government.

  Aftermath. Copyrights to 330 Taiwanese films were later transferred to the National Development Council and donated to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute in 2023.

  Settlement payment. NT$950 million (2021 administrative settlement)

  Source
• 2019Operation of Central Taiwan Film StudiosStrategy

  Taichung's former Taiwan Studio City was redeveloped to provide modern production infrastructure.

  What changed. CMPC entered a public-private partnership with the Taichung City Government and obtained a 15-year operating right for the renamed Central Taiwan Film Studios.

  Aftermath. The company expanded its role from film production into large-scale studio and location services.

  Source
• 2009Rebrand and digital post-production modernizationStrategy

  After privatization, CMPC sought to restore its production capabilities and renew its technical infrastructure.

  What changed. The company adopted the Central Pictures Corporation name, restored its post-production center, and upgraded digital photography, Dolby recording, editing, and printing systems.

  Aftermath. CMPC resumed a visible role in contemporary Taiwanese film investment and production.

  Source
• 2005Privatization and withdrawal of Kuomintang controlStrategy

  CMPC had operated within a party- and government-linked media structure for decades before the Kuomintang sold its controlling shares.

  What changed. The controlling interest was sold, changing the company's ownership structure and ending direct party control.

  Aftermath. The transaction later became the subject of an administrative settlement concerning the valuation of company assets.

  Source

• 2021Privatization-era asset valuation disputeControversy

  CMPC reached an administrative settlement with the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee concerning assets allegedly understated when the Kuomintang sold its controlling interest in 2005. The settlement required CMPC to pay NT$950 million to the government.

  Source

• 2023Copyrights to 330 Taiwanese films are donated to the national film institute

  Copyrights transferred through the settlement process were donated to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute for preservation and public cultural stewardship.

  Other
  Source
• 2019CMPC enters a public-private partnership for Central Taiwan Film Studios

  The former Taiwan Studio City in Taichung was converted into Central Taiwan Film Studios, with CMPC receiving a 15-year operating right.

  Other
  Source
• 2009CMPC adopts the Central Pictures Corporation name and upgrades post-production

  Under chairman Gou Tai-chiang, the company restored its post-production center and added digital imaging, Dolby recording, digital editing, and digital printing capabilities.

  Product generationLeadership change
  Source
• 2005CMPC is privatized

  The Kuomintang sold its controlling shares, ending the company's period of direct party control.

  Other
  Source
• 1975CMPC completes its major outdoor production studio

  The company's new studio complex was completed in January and was described as the largest professional outdoor shooting base in Asia at the time.

  Other
  Source
• 1954CMPC is formed through the merger of two predecessor companies

  The Agricultural Educational Film Company and Taiwan Film Corporation merged to establish Central Motion Picture Corporation.

  Other
  Source

1. Central Motion Picture Corporation
2. Central Pictures Corporation official website