The itch to travel can strike when you least expect it—sometimes in a darkened movie theatre. Good cinematography inspires wanderlust: recall the neon maze of Tokyo in Lost in Translation, the romance of Paris in Before Sunset, and the sweeping outback of Australia.

So don’t be surprised if you come out of Cape No. 7 with a hankering to explore Taiwan. The movie, which makes its Canadian debut at the Vancity Theatre tonight (August 27) and plays again on Saturday (August 29), has already inspired scores of tourists from Japan and Hong Kong to visit a sleepy town called Hengchun, near the southern tip of Taiwan.

The film is one of five Taiwanese movies playing from today to Sunday (August 27 to 30) as part of the Telus TaiwanFest. Cape No. 7 is Taiwan’s most successful film, second only to Titanic in box-office sales in the nation.

“It’s the most talked about movie in Taiwan,” says communications manager Sherry Wang, on the line from the fest’s Vancouver office. Wang explains that director Te-Sheng Wei’s romantic drama had a very small budget, so its success took people by surprise. The film tells the story of struggling musician Aga, who pulls together a ragtag band to be the opening act for a Japanese pop star’s beach concert. The story incorporates the tale of an unsent love letter written in the 1940s, near the end of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan.

Taiwanese pop singer Van Fan, who plays Aga, will attend the Vancouver premiere. He’ll also be present at a 6 p.m. reception open to filmgoers and will host a Q & A following the 7 p.m. screening.

The shimmering tropical-resort-town scenery has made quite an impression on some viewers. A March 29 article in The China Post, one of Taiwan’s English-language newspapers, reports that tourists from Hong Kong have flocked to the region.

Wang says Japanese tourists have also come to Hengchun; Cape No. 7 has gotten wide play in that country due to the plot’s Japanese connection.

“It was almost like a hidden treasure in Taiwan,” says Wang of the region, which boasts white-sand beaches and mild weather. “It’s like Bali in Taiwan”¦ You can do nothing but stare at the ocean and sky.”

Another TaiwanFest film, Island Etude, has inspired travel within Taiwan. Director Huai-en Chen’s 2007 drama tells the story of a hearing-impaired college student who embarks on a bicycle trip around Taiwan, which is about the size of Vancouver Island. In mockumentary fashion, the film follows his journey along picturesque shorelines as he encounters people like a Lithuanian model who needs help catching a train and a fellow cyclist who’s a Taiwanese immigrant to Canada.

“Ever since this movie, so many people have taken up cycling and gone on a journey by themselves around Taiwan,” Wang says, adding that Island Etude showcases Taiwan’s rugged east coast.

Other TaiwanFest films include Blue Brave: The Legend of Formosa 1895, Stars, and Orz Boyz. All have English subtitles.