Discoveries from Taiwan World Cinema

This romantic comedy is about a loser practicing how to “LOVE”.

Taiwanese supernatural horror / comedy.

Tommy, a YouTuber known for scamming people with his fake exorcism skills, faces a real challenge when he must save his partner, Alumi, from a zombie demon. Teaming up with Sanjay, an Indian exorcist and computer geek determined to avenge his exorcist guru grandfather, Babaji, Tommy must step up. Will they succeed in their mission, and can Sanjay put aside his quest for revenge to work with Tommy?

At 20, Ling balances boxing and helping with her mother's lunchbox business, all while her family quietly unravels. Her parents fake harmony, but when her father brings home a new "girlfriend," the illusion is shattered. Refusing to look away, Ling endures the blows - bloodied and tear-streaked. In facing reality head-on, she discovers a deeper truth: only with honesty in her heart do her punches carry real weight.

On Green Island in the 1950s, the female thought prisoners chose to fight for freedom, but were more forcefully suppressed by the authority. They held on to their beliefs and hoping for true freedom to come.

Young students of martial arts must prove themselves worthy to their overbearing Master.

An unusual tale about the love between a female cat-burglar and a university student.

Bassley, a Nigerian footballer living in Vietnam, has been unable to make a living since he broke his leg. He and four middle-aged women he sometimes works for decide to escape the disappointment of their daily lives. They go to an old house where together they create a special world for themselves. But this intimate utopia cannot last forever.

Tao Kai, a graduate of the University of Music, is forced to take over the position of chairman of the board because his wife's father has died. Because he has opened a branch office in Taipei, he meets a resident singer, Fang Qi, and they fall in love. Tao Kai decides to divorce his wife, Pei Wen, but he never expects that Fang Qi's sister and Pei Wen's father have an unusual relationship and that Fang Qi's sister will end her life because of her shame to Pei Wen. Fangqi's sister ended her life because she was ashamed of Peiwen, and Fangqi needed to recuperate for a short time because she was too stimulated. At that time, Peiwen also lost her eyesight because of her eye problem. Tao Kai went back to see Peiwen, and Fangqi also left. After three years, Tao Kai went back to visit Pei Wen again, but he didn't realise that Pei Wen was still waiting for him. Tao Kai had no face to go back and said goodbye to Pei Wen.

The daughter of a queen and a comet is abandoned by her family. One day, she comes across a prince fighting a multi-headed dragon and falls in love with him. However, some wizards try everything to keep them apart.

Peter LAN, a handsome man and a seasoned gambler, finds upon his return from abroad that his family has been destroyed by the treachery of the unscrupulous Alfred WONG, who cheated Peter’s father out of his fortune and drove him to suicide. With both his mother and father dead, Peter suspects and decides to collect evidence of Alfred’s crime. While trying to track down the villain, Peter meets Barry SUNG, a businessman and playboy working for Rex HU. Barry, the would-be gambler, and Peter quickly become friends during a gambling session. The beautiful Lily, who loves Peter devotedly, provides the hero with the crucial lead when she takes him to visit Rex, Barry’s boss. When Rex orders Barry to kill his new friend, his cover is blown. Rex HU is actually Alfred WONG, the man who destroyed Peter’s family. During the dramatic and violent showdown, Barry sides with Peter and helps to bring Rex to justice.

Naughty Cadets 3 aka Big Headed Recruit 3 is a Taiwanese Comedy staring Eric Tsang.

A large quantity of gold is stolen from the government, so undercover martial arts constables do there detective work to find out the culprits and the whereabouts of the bullion. Awesome fight scenes, choreographed by Hwang Kwo Chu, with a lot of innovative weapon work.

Nothing heals a damaged soul like the sight of a small, adorable animal. In this film, a tiny cat not only heals a young woman reeling from the death of her mother, it also helps her find love with a lonely rock musician. Claire has been living in her own world until she meets musician James, whom she believes is her childhood sweetheart. At the same time, Claire also takes in a lost kitten, giving new meaning to her life. However, as her burgeoning romance with James begins to develop further, memories from the past are dug up, forcing them to face their ambiguous relationship and painful past.

Dr. Tao, who has supernatural power, misses his wife a lot, whom disappeared on the day of their marriage. One day, an eagle flies into Dr. Tao's house and solicit his assistance to turn him back into a human. Dr. Tao finds out that his wife is locked up by a wicked witch-doctor, Black Cloud Master. Dr. Tao is on his way to the castle

Yu Ping comes to Hong Kong in search of the murder who killed her father. She sings in a nightclub and meanwhile hires detective to track down the killer. On the stage, Yu Ping deeply fascinates Black Dragon, but she has a liking for the man next to him, with the name of Ox. They start to fall in love with each other. In an incident, Black Dragon is killed. Black Dragon’s sister and Ox denounce to avenge him.

An ordinary day in an ordinary campus, a girl who was loved by everyone killed herself. Everyone is asking why, but no one knows the truth, except these three: a good student, a bad student, and a weird student. For they know the truth of this incident, they decide to do something unordinary for her, as a revenge. They are the partners in crime. However, with the discovery of the girl’s secret diary, we are about to journey back to our high school lives. As an old saying goes, “High school never ends!”

Three generations of the Luo family fasted and chanted Buddha's name. However, Mr. Luo died young. Luo's mother complained and began to kill animals and eat meat. When Luo Bu grew up, her family property was wiped out by her uncle. Oppose and remarry someone else. After Luo's mother died, she went to hell. Luo Bu received God's instructions and followed Pratyekabuddha to practice, and his Dharma name was Mulian. However, because he could not bear the suffering of his mother in hell, he broke into the underworld to rescue his mother. After all the hardships, he finally felt the Buddha's will. Let Mother Luo be reincarnated.

Infused with a few moments of pathos, this off-beat comedy centers on a trio of Taiwanese outcasts who go looking for love.

A pianist, who has already lost his real audience, is searching for his fans via performing music in a world controlled by Artificial Intelligence. However, his only audience is a deaf and dumb cyborg girl, who is raised by data and has no actual experience with real humans. Can they identify each other’s feeling by the signals of music? As AI rises, how can the last generation of Homo sapiens and posthuman face their fate of desolation?

Jiu Bing has been stuck in the friend zone with Bo He since he was twelve. Even though he tries everything to win her heart, he fails in crossing the line. When working as a part-time pacer, Jiu Bing meets Xia Tian. They later become internet celebrities by accident.

The Japanese ninja secretly invade China in the time of the Ming Dynasty.

This heart-warming romantic comedy takes place at Nanyang Street, the most famous "cram school" street in Taipei City. A young man works at a copy shop where his life is a boring routine of copying test papers for students. One day he finds a drawing of a sheep mixed in on the test papers, which leads him to an unexpected journey.

Ji Ya Qing goes on a business trip right before her wedding. She meets on her stay at the hotel a young man intent on the search of an old lady, having in his possession only letters his grandfather wrote before passing away. They go together on a journey in the country scenery of China, in the quest of the lady in the letters. This journey yet holds more for both of them, as they discover what love could mean and bring.

A child finds a magic statue in a cave. This is a Thai idol that protects the world from an invasion by extraterrestrial giants. Edited from the Tsuburaya-Chaiyo co-production Jumborg Ace & Giant (1974), combining the special effects footage with newly shot drama scenes featuring a Taiwanese cast to create a loose adaptation of the original story that jettisons the connections to Tah Tien (1973) and Jumborg Ace (1973).

A rural youth, Lin, works as a janitor at an airline in Taipei while attending night school to learn English. He shares a flat with Guo, who makes a fortune catering to Japanese clients. To fund his brother's wedding, Lin borrows from his company. When his father urgently arrives in Taipei seeking money, can Lin resolve his father's concerns? The narrative critiques society's infatuation with foreign ideals and exposes the darker sides of human nature.

When you're the best fighter around, you'd better be prepared to prove it! No sooner was a new security escort for the Imperial Governor chosen, and then he was challenged to a duel and slain right before his family's eyes by a mysterious traveling swordsman known only as The Thunder Sword who disappears and is never to be heard from again.

Haunted by trauma and trapped in sex work, Light meets Shuo, an undercover cop who offers him shelter. But healing isn’t easy—can Light choose a new path?

Misfortune sets in for the protagonist of this story when her husband dies of poisoning. She leaves Tokyo to join her father-in-law in Hong-kong where her immoral and lecherous brother-in-law harasses her. Then, her father-in-law is also murdered. Are the killings linked? And why is her brother-in-law also injured and handicapped?

Late night, a commuter bus was speeding along the coastal highway when, suddenly, a loud and panicky scream pierced the night’s silence. This wealthy and elderly lady had just woken to find her precious necklace stolen. What follows was a series of intriguing turn of events, chaotic mob justice, vengeful lynching, as the truth behind the theft unfolds. The film climaxes as the commuter bus went ablaze, burning and glittering against the pitch-dark coastal sky.

Compulsive gambler Jih (Tai-bao) tries to bamboozle dim-bulb gang boss Black Dog (Chen-Nan Tsai) in this satirical action-comedy that pokes fun at Taiwanese culture. To fend off Black Dog's attempt to collect a gaming debt, Jih says he can't repay the money because he needs it for the funeral of his father (Bin-hui Lee) -- who once saved the mafioso's life. Trouble is, Jih's father is alive, and Black Dog plans to attend the memorial service.

The innocent children in the village are happy to play in the village, singing nursery rhymes. Such a scenario no longer exists. The village children disappeared out of thin air, adults panicked, the village's one-eyed old yin and yang mother-in-law said that the legendary Tiger Gospel again appeared sixty years later. As the case is unusual, the police sent out excellent young police officers.

There are several anthology films at the beginning stage of Taiwan New Cinema. Ah Fu consists of three shorts, having directors from various backgrounds. The leading roles in the three films are all named Ah Fu. The stories are played by different actors and located in Hong Kong, China, and Taipei respectively.

Melody, a teenage girl, lives in a borrowed mansion together with her parents, whose marriage is on the rocks. Though they look like a happy family, they are three people struggling in the game of life. A long-deserted amusement park appears to be the only way out.

Kuai Chi, the conductor of a women’s western music band, alertly keeps her distance from men around her. Nonetheless, she eventually succumbs to the charms of A-lang and falls pregnant; she then breaks off her engagement and embezzles money so she can elope with A-lang. Unfortunately, A-lang fails in everything he does, and Kuai Chi persuades him to move and start a new life. However, A-lang has become addicted to excitement…

Jimmy Wang Wu plays an outsider caught between two gangs.

It tells the story of a mother’s desperation to locate her child when the abductor dies before her child can be located. With time running out, the child’s mother seeks the assistance of a spiritual medium.

Kon Loong, a rickshaw boy, learns kung-fu from master Auyang Tin-Kin, for three years of practice. Kon Loong is recognized as the best among all the students. One day, when the master is out for a journey, another fighting association sends a challenge to the school, and Kon Loong accepts it. He goes with four other brothers, but they are badly defeated by their opponents, who hired the help of a Japanese karate fighter. When the master returns, he will have to save the school's honour, in a duel against the two other schools.

Hua Ge, who has been addicted to heroin for thirty years, successfully quits drugs and sets up a farm on a mountain, which takes in young drug addicts.

On the brink of moving away, Jing stands in front of the entrance of a room. As she struggles to step into the room and pack, a horse unexpectedly appears in the apartment.

During the Ming dynasty in China, the coastal areas were rampant. A Wokou who refers himself as the Nippon Ronin (Chan Hung-lit), colludes with the coastal local tyrants of Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces, along with cult religious groups. They occupy Baiyunzhuang and plundered everywhere. Young warrior Fan Chen-tung (Kong Ban) leads a resistance group to retaliate which prompts the Chinese martial world to share the same hatred against the Japanese and tyrants.

In 1992, five years after Taiwan lifted martial law, Jiang, a high school student destined for a top medical college, secretly joins the school’s marching band to chase his passion for music. When the band faces closure due to its outdated focus on martial music, Jiang and his fellow members rally together, determined to save it and reclaim its honor in a prestigious competition.

A story about a school girl with curly hair, during the time of hairstyle restrictions in Taiwan, who learns to appreciate her hair after learning about genetic diversity in biology class.

The plot is a standard revenge tale told in a concise manner that involves a boy witnessing his parents' murder at the hands of corrupt officials and growing up to achieve vengeance. The boy goes to Shaolin Temple to learn kung fu in a superb training sequence that ranks with some of the better-known Shaolin Temple scenes in kung fu cinema. By the time the boy has completed his training, he has grown up to be Carter Wong and soon sets out on his mission. He meets Polly Shang Kwan along the way and, after some initial antagonism, the two become allies and confront the villains. The bad guys employ a particularly clever maneuver involving dozens of imperial guardsmen performing a variety of formations on cue (including standing on each other's shoulders, three men high) as Sammo Hung bangs out different drumbeats. Sammo and Carter engage in a particularly exciting bout against the backdrop of a mountainous landscape midway through the film.

A Tien is a construction worker who is at home due to a job accident, and along with his naughty daughter Xiao Chun (Haru), unexpectedly starts caring for a pig. Grandfather raises holy pigs and Haru stole a piglet to raise. A Tien, ​​who was struggling with his family's finances, wants to see if the piglet has the ability to pick winning bets and tries to make a fortune through this holy pig. This is a story about ordinary people, the gap between the rich and the poor in today's society, and also the inseparable bond between people.

When her filmmaker grandfather, Liu Chi-Sheng, lands in hospital, 18-year-old Jie has him recount the love story between him and her grandmother, Chiang Mei-Yue, that happened during a visit of the film sets of Beitou.

Lin Hsiao Lan plays an oft-bullied student who yearns for adventure. In the wrong place at the wrong time, she screws up Alexander Lo Rei's chance for reincarnation and now they are stuck with each other. Eventually they become friends and set off to avenge Lo's death.

A group of lovely pearl divers on the Taiwan coast call on the help of an expert martial artist when they start to get exploited by a group of ruthless triads.

Taiwanese movie

Sleuth Cheng, host of a popular variety show, was found wounded and trapped in a tetrapod at the shore, while a video of him kissing the mayor’s wife went viral and caused media frenzy. As Cheng’s girlfriend angrily confronts him, he reveals details that may turn a secret love affair into a political mega storm.

Taiwanese romance film.

A violin teacher from a working-class background embarks on a brave journey in search of true love. The absurd process gradually makes her realize that returning to her true self is the only shortcut to happiness.