New Waves: Rediscovering Taiwanese Cinema of the 1980s

One of the wonders of late 20th century world cinema was the wave of remarkably talented directors who emerged in Taiwan during the 1980s, an incredible efflorescence that swiftly reinvented a national cinema. Yet, despite the international acclaim given to the leading directors of the so-called New Taiwan Cinema, the larger body of their work has rarely been screened outside their own country.

Says film historian and series programmer Haden Guest, “In the 1980s, Taiwan was the epicenter of a paradigm shift in narrative filmmaking that dramatically harnessed and expanded cinema’s power to creatively engage time and emotion. This series offers a rich cross section of films from this crucial moment, bringing together pioneering films by luminaries like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang with lesser-known, yet vital works that challenged approaches to genre and brought a new sharp-edged political address to Taiwanese cinema. The profound impact and lasting influence of these movies resonates to this day.”

TWO-WEEK FESTIVAL OF CLASSICS AND UNSEEN GEMS INCLUDING FILMS BY EDWARD YANG, HOU HSIAO-HSIEN, TSAI MING-LIANG, CHANG YI, WANG TUNG, CHEN KUN-HO AND ANG LEE.

Programmed by Haden Guest
Series Consultant: Wayne Wang
Special thanks to Kanglan Chin and Jessica Hu (Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York) and Wanying Tsai (Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute)