Why Taipei is suddenly in movies like Lucy: novelty and subsidy

For years, Taiwan was barely on Hollywood's radar for filming global blockbusters - but director Ang Lee's decision to shoot his Oscar-winning 3-D adventure Life of Pi on the island transformed its fortunes.

Long overshadowed by Japan and Hong Kong, Taiwan with its dramatic scenery and skyscrapers is fast becoming the Asian hub for some of cinema's biggest hitters.

Its rise is thanks to a combination of glowing praise from industry heavyweights, film subsidies and a concerted effort by local authorities to court international filmmakers.

Local boy Lee further raised the island's profile as a potential movie-making hot spot when he said he could not have made his hit film "without the help of Taiwan" in his acceptance speech after winning the Oscar for best director in 2013.

French filmmaker Luc Besson chose Taipei over seven other Asian cities when selecting the setting for part of his sci-fi thriller Lucy, which starred Scarlett Johansson. Martin Scorsese is scheduled to shoot his new production Silence on the island in 2015.

"Some cities are very photogenic, some others are not at all. Paris is very photogenic and Taipei is very photogenic too," says Besson, whose Lucy featured nearly an hour of scenes from the capital, from the landmark Taipei 101 skyscraper to popular steamed dumplings.