Literature and films are a romantic way to present a city to an international audience. Some examples of this include Roman Holidays starring Audrey Hepburn, and A City of Sadness directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou, Who introduced Taipei County to the world.

Film festivals can also have a similar effect and bring great fame to its host city. Kaohsiung's Film Festival has been held every year, for eight years. Every year there is a massive increase in participating movie screenings and box office ticket sales.

The Kaohsiung Film Festival 2008 opened with presentations of My So Called Love and Gachi Boy: Wrestling with A Memory. It ended with screenings of Genius Party and Running The Sahara.

Kaohsiung Film Festival 2008 was held over fourteen days and took in a record NT$1,500,000. This was double what was made in 2007 (NT$800,000). Mr. Wen-Tang Cheng (Festival Chairman) felt Kaohsiung's film lovers don't mind paying a nominal fee to view good films. People attending the festival every year has also been increasing steadily. In 2006, about 3000 people attended the festival, however in 2007 this more than quadrupled with about 14,000 in attendance. This year, more than 18,000 people came to see more than 200 different movies, breaking both audience and box office records.

In 2005, Kaohsiung City Government awarded the film "The Wayward Clod" NT$10,000,000 for filming in the city and claiming delete world renowned film awards.

Initially the goal was to establish a film festival relevant only to Kaohsiung's residents. Its aim was to give filmmakers from southern Taiwan a platform to display their work. More recently, the festival aims to cultivate a more culturally sophisticated audience and broaden residents' international outlook. Productions have also become more creative and refined. The content of the films presented at the festival have also become more diverse. International filmmakers come from as far away as Hollywood and as nearby as Kaohsiung to participate in the festival.

Kaohsiung Film Festivals previously focused on promoting the local film industry. It now welcomes a host of international guests and international themes. In 2004, the central theme "Ocean in Motion" , was designed to showcase films from various international coastal cities. The 2005 film festival, focused on the film culture of twin cities-Kaohsiung and Nantes. Festival organizers invited one of the founders of the Festival of Three Continents, Mr. Allain Jalladeau to be a keynote speaker. The festival focused on the similarities of Kaohsiung and Nantes, through still photographs and motion pictures. In 2006, the Festival adopted the theme "The Pulse of a Modern Maritime Generation". Chairman of Pusan's International Film Festival, Mr. Kim Dong-Hol came to deliver a speach. In 2007, the theme "Fantasy" combined two festivals: Kaohsiung Film Festival and Mega Port Music Festival. This year's theme "Kaohsiung Spirit", featured films from all over the world. The focus was to demonstrate the passion and vitality of Kaohsiung.

As the Film Festival evolved, Kaohsiung has provided a very supportive environment for film makers. It also offers assistance for film makers who need to shoot on location in Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung City Government has even created a NT$10,000,000 award for Taiwanese films. This award is granted to films that have had more than a quarter shot in Kaohsiung City and won at least one award at one of the six major international film festivals. Film festivals must include one of the following: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Cannes International Film Festival, or at any other International Film Festival hosted in Venice, Berlin, Tokyo or Pusan. One of the most well known recipients of this award was the crew of the 2005 film The Wayward Cloud by Ming-Liang Tsai. This film won three prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival, including the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution, the Alfred Bauer Prize and FIPRESCI Juries Prize.

In recent history there has been a tremendous increase in films and TV programs made in Kaohsiung, including ten films in 2008. Over half of the film, Pranja Works directed by Dennis Y. H Tsai, was shot in Kaohsiung. Film locations included Singuang Ferry Wharf, Love Pier, Love River, Dream Mall and various Kaohsiung MRT stations. The Information Office of Kaohsiung City Government offered tremendous support for this project and Mayor Chen hosted a press conference with the crew.

Kaohsiung City Government is very supportive of the film industry. Not only does it grant monetary awards and half-price tickets subsidies, it has also set up a film production support center. This center provides equipment, professional crews, screening resources, audition services, film editing, administration and production spaces. Kaohsiung City Government also provides accommodation subsidies for production crews. Subsidy limits have recently been raised from NT$600,000 to NT$1,000,000 for accommodation. Subsidies of up to NT$2,000,000 are granted for films, TV series and TV movies. Subsidies of up to NT$6,000,000 are also granted for documentaries and promotional videos. The City Government also increased the hotels contracted to house crews so that filmmakers can focus more on the filming and less about the logistics.

The Information Office has set up a website called Film Kaohsiung, to make location hunting easier for film crews. It uses real-time information and provides tri-lingual (Chinese, English and Japanese) resources. It provides information about scenic spots in Kaohsiung and sets that give insight into the ordinary lives of the local people. Locations are categorized into historical buildings, cultural spots, harbors and piers, the cityscape, ecological areas and the suburbs. This allows prospective filmmakers a chance to survey Kaohsiung City's versatility.

In 2007, Kaohsiung City Government invested in a documentary to present Kaohsiung's cultural heritage and diversity. Outstanding film crews worked hard to present the city's tremendous beauty. Kaohsiung City has since attracted seven more film and documentary projects of entirely different styles to produce movies in Kaohsiung.