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Once a rising star in Taiwan's mountaineering boom, A-Gong fell into debt and went on the run, hiding on Yushan before surrendering. After prison, he returned to the mountains, rebuilding his life step by step. Now, he's a living legend among Taiwan's high-altitude trails.

Documentary against buraku discrimination

Gukdo Art Cinema located in Daeyeon-dong, Busan is one of the most representative cinema in Busan for independent films and arthouse films along with Cinematheque Busan (currently moved to Busan Cinema Center) and Art Theater C+C. Gukdo opened in 2004 in Nampo-dong and moved to Daeyeon-dong in 2008 and has been a home for cinephiles in Busan and nearby areas for the last 10 years. The theater closed its operations on January 31st, 2018 after the building owner had refused to renew its contract. The last month of the theater is recorded in the movie Last Scene.

In 2018 Japan’s NHK television network was given unprecedented access to the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection of works by Katsushika Hokusai so they could film the details of paintings using a state-of-the-art 8K video camera. The resulting documentary is hosted by actor Iura Arata and features commentary from the James Ulak, former curator at the National Museum of Asian Art, and Tim Clark, former curator at the British Museum. The film’s intended premiere in April 2020 was canceled due to the pandemic. We are proud to finally screen it. Explore masterpieces at a never-before-seen level of detail and enjoy new insights into the artist’s genius.

Chiyo is a poetic exploration of the suburbs in Japan through the filmmaker’s reflection on the life of her grandmother. With a series of everyday moments in Yashio from a summer fair to Buddhist rituals, the film embodies micro-narratives, seeking cinema’s ability to offer a contemplative space.

V6's 25th anniversary live tour

The footsteps of the stars, our journey together. 9 Stellas gathered together this winter.. Where the brightest and most beautiful night sky begins StelLive's first group concert

Tuvalu, This defenseless nation of 26 square kilometers will be the first island nation to be submerged by the oceans once the sea level rises due to global warming. The director Huang Hsin-yao left his hometown after the 88 flooding disaster in Taiwan in search of this disappearing island called Tuvalu. While aboard this swaying ship in the Pacific, various fantastic spectacles of Taiwan emerge in the mind of the director… Once out at sea barbecuing, he found under the sea…

Documentary of the Usuki Soil Cultivation Center, pioneers in organic farming in Japan

Performances by Japanese Noise acts: Masonna, Incapacitants, Merzbow, Solmania, Hijokaidan.

Glimpse into the world of the songstress known as the "Rock Heroine" as she reflects on the first decade of her career and looks to the future.

Hong Kong and Taiwan are 2 islands inextricably linked by their huge neighbour. Modern metropolises full of eastern traditions, they're forging forward in the 21st century as China's little dragons. Traveller Megan McCormick begins her journey in Hong Kong, looking out at the incredible skyline from Victoria Peak. She then takes in the contrasts of the city before taking the ferry visit Tap Mum Chau and Lantau Island. After a flight to Taiwan she explores the capital Taipei, ending her trip with a visit to its most remote outpost - Orchid Island.

In Taiwan, pigeon racing is not only a sport but also a national obsession where more than 30,000 Taiwanese pigeon racers devote their lives to chasing a dream of fame amd fortune. It's a sport awash with rumor of race fixing, mafia and even kidnappings. Professional pigeon racer Tsai Fong Chi has what it takes to make it big in the next pigeon games. His family is depending on him and much is at stake. With little success since his last big winning streak, his cash reserves have dwindled and he needs to win and win big. Can Tsai's favorite pigeon make it to the final races and bring home the grand prize?

In the turmoil of the Jeju 4.3 incident, Jeju Island witnessed the loss of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 lives, with women constituting a significant yet often unrecognized proportion of the victims. This documentary illuminates the once-shrouded experiences of these women, led by a dedicated Jeju 4.3 researcher.

A sex worker falls into a coma. Bailan's work has provided solace to many, supported her family, and cared for a group of stray cats. What happened to her and her sisters after the licensed prostitutes were banned? We go on a journey to accompany Bailan's recovery and to see the struggle of the marginalized community.

The first railway line in Thailand was inaugurated in 1893 – a sign of progress and prosperity. Shot over eight years on every active line of the country's railway system, this wondrous documentary offers an unprecedented immersion into the country's past and present.

A film about rice cultivation that depicts the most beautiful rice field landscape in Japanese cinema history and the most realistic depiction of modern rice farmers.

Seventy years ago, there was a person who stole tears while looking at the Korean War orphan dying in hunger and cold with the heart of his father. It was Everett Swanson (1913-1965). Compassion, which he started out of compassion for Korean War orphans, has provided miracles to more than 100,000 Korean children, including Kathy, a Korean orphan. Also, his father's heart that he harbored flowed toward children all over the world. Messod, a Rwandan boy, lost his father in 1994 Hwang Tae-hwan, a South Korean father who lost his son in 2023 A relay of love that changes the world with one person's power and has a good influence, it is a story of hope and emotion in which the giver and the receiver grow together.

The rotten AV director Simple SANO drags along the rotten actor Kanon Eimu, aka Shinichiro Kaneko, on a hellish, haphazard journey through India in search of freaks (people with unusual deformities). Instead of freaks, they get ripped off, suffer diarrhea hell, get scammed, can't eat... and so on, facing a continuous string of misfortunes. Amidst this chaos, they attempt to film sex with an Indian woman, sneak into a cremation site for corpses, get scammed trying to exchange a beggar's money, have Kanon's head shaved, faint... and more. It's a super rotten road movie packed with countless moving (?) scenes. Will the two actually meet any special deformities (funny companions) and make it back to Japan safely? Part 1 covers the journey from gloomy Calcutta to irritating Benares.

Motomiya, an older Japanese man, narrates the story of his life in Tokyo with Raquel, a university student from Spain, several decades his junior. He calls Raquel his "Typhoon" and as they travel through the fast moving city together, her explosive love for life reminds Motomiya that joy can be found in even the smallest of tasks.

Documentary with reenactment sequences aired on Beijing Television program Documentary in 2001. The personal story and confession from the Japanese lady Hanako Kodama (児玉華子), who once served as the personal secretary for Daisaku Komoto during the Sino-Japanese war.

Ying, the son of a Chinese fisherman, devotes his heart and soul to contemporary dance. After founding his own company in Beijing, he is confronted by the challenges of the pandemic and the harshness of urban life. He eventually returns to his village to stage a monumental performance in honor of the ocean gods, in the very place where he danced for the first time.

Night falls on the city, and More′s splendid and daring show begins. More, a drag queen at a club in Itaewon, Seoul, is a transgender who wanted to become a ballerina. The audience cheers, but More is fed up with the gig he/she has been doing for 20 years. Around that time, he/she is cast for the "Stonewall Riots 50th Anniversary" performance in New York and finally get a chance to go on stage in toe shoes.

HSU Tzu-chiang was pronounced guilty and sentenced to death in a 1995 kidnap and murder case despite the lack of forensic evidence. After a 16-year effort by NGOs, HSU was released with a life sentence in 2016. Now he continues to fight to prove his innocence. Director Chi has been documenting Hsu's story since 2012. The journey brought Chi face-to-face with the shortcomings of human society and inspired his investigation into why the judicial system failed HSU.

At the hospice, the average remaining time for patients is 21 days. These patients prepare for their deaths. Park Soo-Myeong is 40 something year old man who is also a husband and father. Kim Jung-Ja is a mother of two sons. Park Jin-Woo was a math teacher. Shin Chang-Yeol lived a lonely life.

Ten years ago, the Kogures moved from Tokyo to a satoyama area (an area where traditional sustainable agriculture has been long practiced) in a snowy mountain village in Echigo-Tsumari where they repaired an old thatched farmhouse and began growing organic, pesticide-free rice. Their life may appear unrestrained and free of worldly cares but they cannot make it alone. All the work is done together with their cheerful neighbors. Then, in the spring of 2011, an earthquake strikes on the border of Nagano and Niigata prefectures. The Kogures’ house is destroyed, but they decide to rebuild. An adventure told in a fantastical tone that expresses the joy of living with a sometimes harsh natural world.

This documentary was filmed at Maki, a small commune at the foot of Japan’s Northern Alps in Nagano Prefecture. Maki is deep in the mountains, inaccessible to vehicles. The residents have to walk a narrow mountain path for 90 minutes to get in or out. Various kinds of people with varying mental and physical problems live alongside their healthy fellows in a grand two storied thatched house. They eke out a living by growing their own food and bartering for essential items.

Crowned as the “godfather of China rock” and yet banned from large-scale performances in Beijing over the past thirteen years, Cui Jian has made his come back in 2005 and remained an icon of the artist versus the State in the hearts of millions. Although the rocker has been reluctant to be identified with any specific political movement, whenever a new democratic voice has emerged (in media forms from underground film to the Internet), it has always found a way to embrace him, thus reconfirming Cui’s “outlaw” status. This documentary reviews his life and career paths from his early days and documents his crew and fans to three very different cities in Wuhan, Inner Mongolia and Beijing. Broadcast on HK Cable TV in summer 2006, the purpose of the video is to review Cui Jian’s career at the point of his new album release after a 6 year gap. The album is titled “Give You Color”.

This film takes us into the microscopic world of the plankton that mass in the oceans. Their bodies ultimately turn to marine snow and accumulate on the ocean floor where, across vast time spans, they transform into crude oil.

Hebei origin, air-force officer retiree, Mr. Chou, now diligently learning Taiwanese, met “Chang Jiang No. 1,” China’s top secret agent during Sino-Japanese war, on a Peking opera’ seminar. Chou’s flat moon life has then been sparkled. He started to talk around about the heroic accomplishments this “Chang Jiang No.1” had done. This person, “who contributes most to China,” gradually becomes Chou’s only mark on the Moon. Is “homesickness” a gene? Inheritable? Transplantable? Can be parted or chosen? Contagious? Needs regular purging like computer viruses? … Through the story between Mr. Chou and “Chang Jiang No.1.” the film uses lively rhythm to represent the interesting homesickness issue. The director adopts a humorous way to re-present these new Taiwanese in Taiwan. As for whether “Chang Jiang No.1” is a real person or not is up to the audience to decide.

Stories of three women who have been living in Itaewon, Seoul, Korea since the era that the town was run by U.S dollars of the U.S. Army.

Stuntman, action director, and martial arts legend Mark Houghton tells his story of breaking into the Hong Kong film industry, his struggle with injuries and depression, and the promise he made his teacher, the legendary filmmaker Lau Kar Leung.

The film traces the rise of one of the world's premier architects, Norman Foster, and his unending quest to improve the quality of life through design.

Documentary on the city of Kyoto, Japan. Topics include the Ryoanji Temple stone garden, a geisha residence, the Katsura Imperial Villa, and the Gion Festival.

Deep within the Amazon lives a people who have preserved their own culture and customs for more than 10,000 years. Known in the West as the Yanomami, sometimes called the “last Stone Age people,” they number about 20,000 today. Living in groups of 40 to 200, they are scattered throughout the vast jungle spanning Brazil and Venezuela. After nearly ten years of negotiations with the Brazilian government and seven tribal elders, the filmmakers became the first television crew ever granted permission for an extended stay within a Yanomami community.

Second in the River series. Piano tuner Eiko visits a town on the banks of the Guadalquivir River in Andalusia, Spain. In the dazzling light, she interacts with the people of Andalusia—a master guitar maker, a cave excavator, and a flamenco prodigy—and spends a summer surrounded by the sounds they create.

In-depth look at the twilight years, spent training apprentices, of temple builder Nishioka Tsunekazu, who was called the "devil" as he devoted his life to temple architecture. His insistence on the gargantuan timescale of linking life to the next millennium emerges from people who knew him. Remarkable as well for showing the unknown backstage of temple architecture. Nishioka, known as "the last temple carpenter," handled the major Showa-era repairs of Horyuji temple, and in 1990 was at the scene of the reconstruction work for Yakushi temple.

This documentary chronicles a yearlong layoff process at Hyundai Motors Co., a leading automotive group in Korea, as laborers were forced to give up their job in the midst of Korea's economic crisis. They are tangible human beings with hopes and despair, people that cannot be described just by their tactics and standpoints. Images of workers departing their beloved factory makes us aware of Hyundai's method of structural adjustment.

A documentary on the making of China's war epic "The Battle at Lake Changjin".

In the late 1960s, photographer Takuma Nakahira published the legendary photography magazine Provoke with Daido Moriyama. With this edgy writings and photographs, Nakahira rejected preexisting photographic expression. In 1977, an alcohol-induced coma resulted in a permanent partial memory loss. In the following years, with gradual recovery, Nakahira started photographing stray cats, homeless, and thatched roofs in the neighborhood near his home in a monomaniac manner. This is documentary is a portrait of the Nakahira's daily life. Directed by photographer Takashi Homma.

Onesun, one of Korea’s first generation hip-hop musicians, appeared on an audition program. Although he did not make it to the finals, he received great attention for the first time in 20 years since his debut. However, he still delivers packages, and at nights he runs the underground hip-hop club ‘In2Deep’ in Hongdae. Onesun’s life and his club ‘In2Deep’ illustrate the reality underground musicians are faced with.

3 Romanian Gymnasts perform gymnastics routines topless in this DVD released only in Japan.

Ko Eun-young, a thirty, non-naitive Jeju Island woman with no experience in politics, runs for Jeju governor in the 2018 local elections. The bumpy ride Ko and her colleagues undergo during the election campaign moves and changes them.

A little Japanese girl of six is transferred to a school in Sardinia where she slowly finds friends and a place before going off again.

Yasuo Inomata, the most important landscape gardener in Argentina, was born in a village in northern Japan and settled in Escobar in the 1960s. He created the Japanese gardens of Escobar and Palermo, but some internal disputes altered his work.

This documentary film follows the journey of former student activist and current political staffer Chen Ting-hao after his decision to escape the cynical politicism of Taipei City to the political backwater of Matsu, an island group administered by Taiwan less than a dozen kilometers off the coast of China. The narrative follows Ting-hao as he reflects on how his political idealism fits in with everyday political reality and ponders Taiwan’s complex political landscape, Taiwan’s relations with a meddlesome yet surprisingly indifferent China, and the perspectives of Matsu residents on Taiwan-China affairs.

In Taiwan, there is a group of people participating in this race against time. They are hidden inside the film archive of New Taipei City’s “Singapore Industrial Park”, where the 17,000-plus film reels and over a million film artifacts have become their spiritual nourishment. Day after day, they shuttle back and forth inside, carrying their doubts, their learnings, and their faith. What they are doing is awakening these long-neglected film reels, then piecing together the no-longer-existent social atmospheres and lives of distant pasts recorded on them. And spending time in this archive has become everyday life for these film archivists and restorers.

THROUGH THE YEARS touches on the theme of Westward expansion by combining facts with fiction. A film about three college students.

"You belong to the country for the next two years." The film describes Woo-cheol's struggles with becoming part of a group while trying to maintain his individuality throughout his military service period. A humorous yet cynical portrait of military groupism.

A photographer and a filmmaker challenge each other to shoot—one to photograph the other to film—two young actresses, one from Tokyo, the other from the countryside. The photographer seeks naturalism in his compositions, and Kawase observes and comments on his work. The competition between the photographer, the filmmaker, and the actresses creates a charged atmosphere.