Oct. 9 (CNA) Oscar-winning director Ang Lee said Friday he looks forward to seeing the head of Taiwan’s Government Information Office (GIO) stay on the job for a longer time than his predecessors to better contribute to the development of the country’s film industry.

The Taiwan-born, New York-based director, who returned to Taipei recently to promote his new film “Taking Woodstock, ” expressed his hope while meeting with GIO Minister Su Jun-pin.

Lee said that whenever he returns to Taiwan, he invariably pays a visit to the GIO, which is responsible for administering the country’s film sector.

“It seems to me that I tend to be received by a different minister each time,” Lee said.

As each minister usually has his or her own policy direction for the film industry, Lee said he is afraid that none of their policy proposals can be implemented fully.

“You are still young. I’m hopeful that you will stay longer so that you will have enough time to put your policy ideas into practice and thus contribute to Taiwan’s movie industry development, ” Lee told Su.

In response, Su said he is a passionate supporter of the film industry, as the movie world is full of human interest.

Noting that Lee’s films have consistently drawn large crowds of filmmaking professionals in Taipei, Su said Lee’s films tend to help instill new spirit, new inspiration and new strength in Taiwan’s film sector.

Lee’s achievements have also helped encourage many young Taiwanese film directors to confidently continue their pursuit of professional excellence, Su said.

“We also hope that our filmmakers and directors can find a niche for development so that one day Taiwan can emerge as a new mecca for the Chinese-language moviedom,” he added.

Lee, who traveled to the United States for advanced study after graduating from the National Taiwan University of Arts, made his directorial debut in 1992 with Pushing Hands, a dramedy highlighting the tension between tradition and modernity, which arises when a retired Tai Chi master moves to the U.S. to live with his Westernized son.

His next two offerings, The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat Drink Man Woman (1994), each landed an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Film category.

Since then, the versatile director has successfully tackled an impressive variety of genres, reflected in a resume which includes a literary classic (Sense and Sensibility) , a dysfunctional family drama (The Ice Storm), a Western (Ride with the Devil), a gay-themed romance (Brokeback Mountain) , an erotic, espionage thriller (Lust, Caution), a comic book adaptation (Hulk) and a martial arts fairytale (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, while Lee himself won the best director award in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain.

Lee’s new film, Taking Woodstock, is a comedy about the 1969 concert that helped define the Hippie Generation. (By Sofia Wu)