It already has its place in Taiwan film history and could be seen by mainland audiences as well.

Talks are under way for blockbuster movie Cape No 7 to be shown around the country - if so, it would be the first movie from Taiwan to do so for many years.

He Wenjin, from the China Film Group Corporation, said last night: "We have plans to show the film in mainland theaters - negotiations are going on but nothing is definite yet."

In October, Taiwan's "president" Ma Ying-jeou watched the film and praised it as representing "Taiwan's spirit of persistence and courage." Chen Yunlin, president of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits will watch the movie today in Taipei to get a taste of what life is like in the south of Taiwan.

The film has not only attracted the interest of political leaders, but has become Taiwan's top-selling Chinese-language film. With a box office of NT$225.7 million ($7million), it is the already the second top grossing film in the island's history, behind Titanic.

In September, leading actor Van Fan even staged a nude swim in front of the media to celebrate the film's box office success.

The film has also won sweeping support from many mainland audiences, who have either downloaded the film online or watched it on pirated DVDs.

Written and directed by Wei Te-sheng, it is his first full-length motion picture and stars Van and Chie Tanaka, both of whom only had minor acting experience before the film. Some of the supporting roles were filled by non-actors.

So what has made it such an influential film?

"It is like a big supermarket, where different people can find the goods they want," says Taiwan documentary film director Yang Li-chou.

Cape No 7 has been classified as a musical, love film, and healing film, among others. Peggy Chiao, director of Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Awards calls it "a love, idol comedy with country flavors."

In the film, elderly people who lived in Taiwan before 1945 are reminded of life in colonial Taiwan; young people are excited by the rock music that Aga plays; alcohol salesman Malasun represents lower-class characters; while the South Fujian dialect, Hakka dialect and Japanese language used in the film will also appeal to people of different origins.

The story begins in 1940s Taiwan. After the surrender of Japan, a Japanese teacher has to leave Taiwan and part with a local girl he has fallen in love with. On his trip back to Japan, he pens seven love letters to the girl, who has the Japanese name Kojima Tomoko.

More than 60 years later, young rock singer Aga returns to his hometown Hengchun from Taipei, where success is elusive. Aga becomes a postman and comes across an undeliverable piece of mail: the daughter of the now deceased Japanese teacher has decided to mail the unsent love letters to Taiwan after discovering them. However, the old Japanese-style address Cape No 7 no longer exists.

Meanwhile, Aga gets the chance to perform at a big beach concert. Japanese fashion model Tomoko, who is managing Aga's hastily assembled band, helps Aga find the rightful recipient of the seven love letters.

The inspira-tion for Cape No 7 came in July 2004 when director Wei read a report about a postman who successfully delivered some mail addressed in the old Japanese style - the sender was the former Japanese employer of the recipient. Wei decided to make a film about the Taiwan that he knows.

"Taiwan is such a small place, yet there is so much in it: There are mountains, seas, lakes, rivers, islands, plains; there are aboriginals, Hakka people, Hokkien people, and immigrants; there is Chinese culture, aboriginal culture and colonial culture. So I thought, can I make a story about harmony between the different peoples?" the 40-year-old Wei was quoted as saying.

He got a NT$5 million ($152,350) grant from Taiwan's "Domestic Film Fund" to make the film, but it cost NT$50 million and Wei was heavily in debt before its release.

Now Wei should be able to pay off his debts. Cape No 7 was not only well received in Taiwan, but also got widespread attention at the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival, where its broadcasting rights were sold to Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

The film has also been nominated for nine awards at the 2008 Golden Horse Award, and it is registered to compete in the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

"In the past, Taiwan's art films are usually characterized by strong personal taste. Although those films are artistic achievements, they neglected the audiences and took in too much of the dark side of society and marginalized lives," Chiao says. "In comparison, Cape No 7 features positive human relations and a sprightly, humorous film language. The popularity of Cape No 7 is a clear signal that there is an audience for Taiwan's film industry."

(China Daily November 6, 2008)