Press Release 19/09/2023
In the autumn of 2023, the largest arts and cultural centre in Manchester, HOME, continued its year-round Taiwanese cinema series by launching a retrospective of Director Hou Hsiao-hsien's early works and conducting a special tour. This series of events was co-curated by Rachel Hayward, the head of Film Strategy at HOME, and Professor Andy Willis from the University of Salford's Film Department. Furthermore, in London, the independent The Garden Cinema actively curated and presented a special program on New Taiwanese Cinema in September for commercial screenings. This highlights the increasing visibility of Taiwanese cinema in the UK.
Manchester HOME launched the "The Early Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien" retrospective in September, featuring three films directed by or starring Director Hou Hsiao-hsien: "Cheerful Wind" (1981), "Taipei Story" (1985), and "Dust in the Wind" (1986). This series received enthusiastic responses from the audience, providing an opportunity to witness the master's creative work and cinematic journey. These three classic Taiwanese films will also be screened in cooperation with various institutions in four different cities in the UK, including Dundee and Glasgow in Scotland, Sheffield in the North of England, and Belfast in Northern Ireland, from mid-September to early October. This collaborative tour aims to make Taiwanese cinema accessible to audiences in more diverse regions of the UK.
2023 marks the second consecutive year of the fruitful collaboration between HOME and the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. In addition to the on-going Hou Hsiao-hsien’s retrospective, the programme began in August with Director Hou Hsiao-hsien's film "Millennium Mambo." Next in line was the ‘Underworld Taiwan’ sub-season which presented the peculiar ‘’Taiwanese Black Cinema’’, a genre mixing a realist style with shocking subject matters. This sub-season included three titles: ‘Never Too Late to Repent’ (1979), ‘Woman Revenger’ (1982) both by director Tsai Yang-Ming, and ‘The Women’s Revenge’ (2020), a short film by visual artist Su Hui-Yu.
In September approaches, the focus returned to Director Hou Hsiao-hsien's early works for the special UK-wide tour. Before the year-long series screening programme concludes, HOME will also select and screen several more recent Taiwanese films. All screenings will include introductions by experts in the respective fields, allowing the audience to expand their knowledge of Taiwanese culture through film.
HOME was established in 2015 and it has since strived to become a landmark for not only Manchester’s arts and culture scene, but also for the whole country. It is now considered as the largest cultural centre, focusing on many different fields such as music, film, theatre, and also contemporary art. It is supported by Arts Council England, the National Lottery, and Manchester City Council, as well as many private enterprises and public funding bodies.
Another noteworthy cinema-focused programme not in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, is being screened by the London-based independent The Garden Cinema which has been curating a commercial screening series titled "New Taiwanese Cinema" from early September to November. This program introduces several significant works, including those by directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien ("Flowers of Shanghai," "The Time to Live and The Time to Die"), Edward Yang ("A Brighter Summer Day," "Yi Yi"), and Tsai Ming-liang ("Rebels of the Neon God," "Vive L'Amour").
Additionally, the cinema will present a double feature of King Hu's "Dragon Inn" (1967) and Tsai Ming-liang's "Goodbye, Dragon Inn" (2003) to pay tribute to both the content and the directors from the era of New Taiwanese Cinema.
The Garden Cinema has also invited important British scholars and experts in the field of film studies, including Professor Chris Berry, Professor Victor Fan, and Professor Christopher Brown from King's College London and the University of Sussex, as well as prominent film critic Tony Rayns and Wang Yi, the founder of the London East Asian Queer East Festival and a Taiwanese curator based in the UK. These experts will provide professional introductions and participate in post-screening discussions to enhance the audience's understanding of the films.
Chen Pin-Chuan, the director of the Cultural Division at the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, expressed that in recent years, the exposure of Taiwanese cinema in the UK has been on the rise, regardless of whether it is in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. For instance, HOME has previously showcased Taiwanese films as individual screenings, and since 2022, the Ministry of Culture and HOME have initiated a year-long cooperation programme, gradually introducing Taiwanese language films, classic Taiwanese cinema, and more recent commercial films. This year, they have collaborated once again with a seasonal approach, providing local audiences with regular opportunities to watch Taiwanese films.
Furthermore, independent cinemas have taken the initiative to curate and screen Taiwanese films, reflecting the interest of local audiences in Taiwanese classic cinema content. These exchanges and collaborations contribute to a deeper and more favourable impression of Taiwanese culture in the hearts of British audiences.
Screening schedules and related events can be found on the following websites: https://homemcr.org/event/taiwan-film-at-home-2023/ https://www.thegardencinema.co.uk/season/new-taiwanese-cinema/
Media contact: Assistant Director Lin Shin-Yi, Taipei Representative Office in the UK. Email: shinyi238@moc.gov.tw
