IPlaces Taiwanese cinema from the 1980s onwards in both national and transnational contextsn the Taiwanese film industry, the dichotomy between art-house and commercially viable films is heavily emphasized by both scholars and the local media. This stems from two separate desires on the part of filmmakers: art-house filmmakers in Taiwan are largely dependent on international distributors for funding, and, as a result, they aim to reach international audiences. On the other hand, mainstream commercial films in Taiwan tend to be produced without international export in mind. On a textual level, however, this dichotomy is not so clear-cut. Although the difference between art-house and commercial film may be very real in financial terms, this is not necessarily the case in the context of the films themselves. These relationships create the need for a new way of thinking about transnationalism altogether.