Taiwan's CMC Entertainment Group has unveiled Silk (Guisi),Taiwan's biggest film since Chen Kuo-fu's Double Vision in 2002.

Unlike Vision, whose $7m budget came from Columbia Pictures FilmProduction Asia, Silk is fully financed with local money to the tune of$4.8m.

Silk is the second feature of Su Chao-pin, who also scripted Vision,and shares its high-concept horror-thriller genre. It started shooting at the end of May.

Silk begins with the world-first capture of a ghost by a Japanese scientistresearching new forms of energy. Theghost, a young boy in Taiwan, seems unaware that he is dead. He is also unaware of his powers,accidentally stopping the heart of the photo-journalist sent to documenthim. The scientist hires a militaryofficer to follow the boy as he wanders around the city of Taipei, uncoveringhis origins so that the inexhaustible "energy source" can bere-created. But forces are unleashedthat threaten the officer, his fiancee and the city.

Silk will shoot for three months, followed by eight months ofpost-production before opening in Taiwan in May 2006.

CMC Entertainment Group are handling international sales, with stronginterest already expressed by Japanese buyers.

The film's cast includes Japanese idol Eguchi Yosuke and Hong Kongstarlet Karena Lam alongside local actors Chang Chen, Berlin Chen and BarbieHsu ("Big S").

Su's debut feature, coming-of-age comedy Better Than Sex (2001),was budgeted at just $320,000 and competed at the Puchon and YubariInternational Fantastic Film Festivals in South Korea and Japan respectively.

Su has long been considered Taiwan's leading screenwriter. His credits include A Chance to Die(1999), The Cabbie (2000) and Peter Chan's episode of Three, GoingHome (2002).

Silk is the highest-profile example of Taiwan's recent production boom. Over thirty films will be completed thisyear, up from just ten in 2003. Titlesin post-production include horror The Heirloom, breakdance movie ChocolateRap and historical epic Story of Eastern Pond.