Discoveries from Taiwan World Cinema

An anti-communist propaganda film by CMPC

Tells the story of people, ghosts and foxes between a poignant love story.

Joy, a fishing village girl who dreams of becoming a captain, and her friends Smelly and Beans always fantasize about the vast sea beyond the breakwaters. They secretly plan to build a small boat together during winter vacation, aiming for an adventurous voyage before Smelly leaves the village.

The search for the essence of Kung Fu leads our dynamic duo Cherry Pai and Champion Cheng into an adventure of terror, intrigue and blood lust - horrific fighting with spirits of dead warriors! Electrifying brutality!

Urban legend has it that once you get bitten by a vampire, you will become one of them and reconnect with your suppressed primal desires. Who will be next?

They left home for the very first time at the age of 25. Both female protagonists began to learn about themselves. One tried to live on her own while the other enjoyed the wonder of loving someone. Both found their way to live life to its fullest. They learned and they changed through the life experiences; a wondrous journey through time, living with no regrets along the way.

In this insect equivalent of a theatrical fine-dining experience, termite butchers, with musical accompaniment of a termite pianist, perform a ritualistic slaughter on a piece of power cable. The fact that their climate crisis-induced dietary choice also causes power outages in human cities is the proverbial cherry on the cable. A delightfully strange and pleasantly icky spectacle that combines costume play and animation. Eat up!

About a child demon and three magic warriors fighting against some demons! One of the demons, a girl in red leaves the flame mountain and witnesses strange things going on in the world of the humans. However, she is free to cause even more confusion. She uses her special abilities like invisibility to fight wizards with other talents such as shape-shifting and enjoys herself tremendously.

Taiwan horror / ghost story.

THE REVENGE OF THE TWO EXORCISTS (1975) is another rarity; this one from Lai Sheng Ying, a cinematographer turned director. Based on a Chinese folk tale, according to the article, all the stars are new faces and a portion of the film was shot in Japan.

失業二年多的吳發達謀職四處碰壁，開計程車突槌，連當小偷都失敗的被困在冰櫃裡讓警察救出來。還被房東趕出去，落得以車為家。阿達妻受不了，終於在一次夫妻衝突後拋家棄子而去。受到妻子的刺激，阿達挺而走險，戴著米老鼠面具去搶銀行，卻晚了一步碰到另二名搶匪在搶銀行，二名搶匪得手逃逸而去，阿達卻因為面具被搶匪打落而被銀行監視器拍到。 阿達逃出銀行時在門口迎面撞上因經濟風暴被資遣的電子公司高級主管余樂天。這一撞把阿達的皮匣撞落在樂天身上，樂天為了將皮匣還給阿達，跟在阿達後面追跑，而被誤會是搶匪集團的一夥。阿達因為在警局有案底，又不忍兒子阿吉啦無所依靠拒絕為樂天到警局澄清。而樂天也因潛藏回家時聽到妻兒間的對話，知道女兒對他的不諒解與怨恨而覺得心灰意冷。二人於是決定逃避通緝，帶著阿吉啦展開一場逃亡之旅。 三人一行來到南部，樂天到夜市的一家牛排攤問路，卻被老闆牛排王誤以為是朋友介紹來工作的幫工阿慶。樂天在百口莫辯的情況下被指使去作他一向拉不下面子做"粗鄙"的工作，當牛排王知道認錯人時，樂天覺得繼續逃亡下去也不是辦法，而且"粗鄙"的工作也不是想像中那麼不堪，因此拜託牛排王留用他，隱姓埋名留在牛排攤繼續跑桌。 這兩老一小的落跑三人組，租了一間老式公寓展開了它們的同居生涯。阿達在樂天的「以身作則」下了解責任的意義，也開始思考他為人父的責任，開始認真找工作。在一連串的碰壁後，阿達來到萬祥開的機車行，吳發達也就成了機車達。 牛排攤的工作讓樂天改變他的價值觀，放下他的虛榮心，讓他更加謙卑地重新認識生命的價值也更能體會快樂幸福的真諦。另一方面，因為在牛排攤工作常接觸到年輕人，樂天似乎比較能了解年輕人的生活與心態，這對因為過度投入工作而不知道如何與孩子溝通互動的樂天不啻是個意外收穫。 日子一天一天過去，這落跑三人組最終將會面對什麼樣的命運呢？他們的人生還有再次重來的機會嗎？

A middle-aged loser son is stuck caring for his disabled dad, his life going nowhere—until an accidental soul swap forces them to trade places. Amid hilarious mishaps and absurd daily struggles, father and son come face-to-face with each other’s hidden hardships, discovering the quiet sacrifices and unspoken love that have bound them together all along.

Yu-lan came to Taipei from southern Taiwan. She has got a successful career as a dancer. When her foster mother gets dementia, she has no choice but to retire and go back home. However, the trial and tribulation of her new life have reminded her of her childhood memories. During an argument with her mother’s foreign caretaker, the cause of her foster brother’s death and the secrets about her biological mother are gradually being revealed... As a woman of the advanced maternal age, Yu-lan has found herself unexpectedly pregnant with a baby. Following her heart, she has entered the circle of destiny. Departure means coming back, and her starting point is also her finish line. Is birth adjacent to or far away from death? Maybe at last, you’ll see that the shadow you met will be also the light to guide your life.

This film follows the lives of undocumented Vietnamese workers in Taiwan doing odd jobs to survive, after having been forced to flee their employers due to harsh working conditions and lack of medical care. How will living this way for more than a decade shape their lives?

A masterful minor exercise in telling a story with a twist and an equally masterful exercise in the dramatic use of what's known as a Steadycam, a camera with flowing motion. The car journey with one lover too many gets completely out of hand. And after the twist, another one follows.

Shaolin and Wu Tang join forces to combat the evil White-Haired Priest using the five elements of kung fu. From this emerges what will become the style known as Tai Chi Chuan from its founder, Chang Shen Fong. See real training, such as the hall of wooden men. Witness the united strength of the Shaolin Monks as they help Chang Shen Fong against White-Haired Priest. See the Three Snake Fists, Black Palm Poison, and other styles for the first time! Jewels from the Wu.

An elderly Taiwanese farmer faces new struggles when his children attempt to put him into aged care.

After having their son, a young couple divorces, with the child remaining with the father. The two endure poverty because the father has trouble finding and keeping jobs. Story mainly focuses on the father-son relationship and difficulties of being a single parent.

Taiwanese movie

The director gets a phone call from his aged mother. A stubborn woman, she worries about the future of the rest of the family. The father is a gambling addict in poor health; the brother is penniless yet sure of his talent as a medium. Looking back at the reasons he left 20 years earlier, Elvis A-Liang Lu creates a wonderful family portrait, touching and full of light.

Demi has stayed in bed for weeks due to the Chinese postpartum tradition. Although she tries to be as cooperative as possible, the weeks-long confinement and endless chicken soup push her to her limit.

The story of "Monsters" begins with an expert surgeon seeking help from a psychologist. To solve the nightmare that has haunted him for 20 years, Liu Hao comes to the private house of the secret doctor Lee for assistance. But, with Lee getting closer to Liu's darkest soul, he is getting a diagnosis that he can't even control.

A mining community discovers that men are dying from unknown circumstances which leads to the discovery of a giant flying monster vulture by the name of Rodan that promptly attacks Japan.

A team of an entrepreneur, an athlete and a student from Taiwan arrived in the Arctic Circle. Through their participation in the 2008 Polar Challenge – a 600 km race to the Magnetic North Pole, they’ve realized their dreams. They experienced hypothermia and attack from polar bears en route.

Lee Wang is the most hard-working member of the volleyball team, but she hadn't got any chance to be on court. Finally, she got the opportunity to be on court because of the absence of Yu Shao, the ace on the team. However, this is also a turning point of their friendship...

A Taiwanese language film. After the death of their mother, Siok-hui sings in a nightclub to support her younger sister Siok-tshing, but her immature sister looks down on her occupation. Siok-tshing then begins working in a pharmaceutical company where she has a crush on her colleague Bun-pin. But little does she know that Bun-pin has fallen passionately in love with her sister. When she finally discovers the truth, she runs away and drowns her sorrows at a bar. There, a lascivious businessman who stalks her sister forces here to go with him to a hotel. Siok-hui rushes to the hotel, where she finds the man lying in a pool of blood...

Lucy is in a great relationship with Hank. The only problem is... his passed-away ex-girlfriend just won't leave her alone. She stalks Lucy everywhere to remind her how perfect of a girlfriend she was and tries to help her become one. Hank, on the other end, never believes in spirits nor can he sees one. Knowing that he won't buy it, Lucy never share this secret until she finally falls sick for it and Hank is forced to deal with it...

A father accidentally kills his daughter and flees with her body in a suitcase. But when his luggage is unexpectedly stolen, in order to get it back, he turns himself in to the police...

Ghost comedy from Taiwan.

"Is cancer a gift?" This unsettling question drives Bowie TSANG, a well-known TV host and speaker active in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, on a six-year journey of exploration. Since 2018, as cancer impacted her loved ones and even her trusted doctor, Bowie sought answers on how to face the disease. Through her Vlog, she documented inspiring stories, exploring not only conventional Western treatments but also alternative therapies such as traditional Chinese medicine, integrative mind-body practices, and more. Along the way, Bowie discovered a profound perspective—gaining peace through a "medicine for the mind." Her journey invites viewers to rethink the connection between life, illness, and healing.

Flourishing

The original Film that was later used as a basis for Godfrey Ho's "Ninja Commandments"!

Taiwanese horror film.

Qing soldiers invaded the Indigenous Amis Village of Cepo’ in 1877. Kacaw is riddled with guilt after he’s unable to save those who flee to Cilangasan. His wife is pregnant, and their people are starving. Kacaw eventually convinces Mayaw, the head of the community, to harvest rice for Qing soldiers in the lowlands. But will everyone return home after such an arduous journey?

Taiwanese horror movie from 1965.

Taiwanese movie

Want to meet your child early? With “Pre-Parenting,” now you can. In near-future Taiwan, the government promotes "Pre-Parenting", simulation glasses that allow mothers to see and bond with their future children. But what happens when the child you see no longer exists?

This is a film about women's feelings and destiny, and a woman's conscious choice between heterosexuality and homosexuality. The film has always been shrouded in a rather strange atmosphere, and it still bluntly expresses the irresistible impulse and determination of women after their true desires are awakened. When Yimin was very young, she often liked to hide in corners and watch her mother change clothes. She thought that a woman's body was the most beautiful thing in the world. When she grew up, her body changed, but she tried her best to take it. Hidden away, because she never thought that she should be a woman. God gave her the body of a woman and made her destined to like women... In the process of searching for love, she went through countless twists and turns until she met this girl. (Peffin)... But what is their love in the end... A woman falling in love with a woman is destined to be not a complete love, but she is still willing to give her true love without regrets...

An ecological film that took 17 years to film directed by Ma Jue-ming, producer of "MIT Taiwan Chronicle," documents the research and investigation of Taiwan's endemic mountain salamander species.

Starring pop idol Bobby Duo (竇智孔) and emerging young actress Lin Jia-yu (林家宇), the film begins with Meibana (played by Duo), a 26-year-old Tao man, deciding to take a break from his stressful life in Taipei and return to Orchid Island. There he learns to appreciate his people's traditional way of life as he whiles away his time collecting the island's natural sounds with his recordist and mentor A-fei.

1981 Taiwanese film

Taiwanese drama.

The Moonlight in Jilin is directed by Wei-ling Chen. Ivy Yin, winner of the Golden Bell Award for Best Leading Actress, stars as Weiwei, a Chinese woman who marries a Taiwanese gangster to save up for her mother's medical expenses. However, her promised life collapses when her husband suddenly absconds. Weiwei has no choice but to serve in an erotic massage store. One day, the police make a raid, and a junior officer, Jiahao, has a crush on Weiwei. As her best friend from her hometown visits Taiwan, Weiwei asks Jiahao to pretend to be her husband. Is this an accidental happiness for Weiwei?

In the midst of a passionate affair with a married woman, arts teacher Ariel must choose between sating her sexual desires or living an open life free of broken promises.

16-year-old Allen lives a chaotic and underprivileged life. Defeated by life from the start, Allen finds joy and hope in hurdling, his favourite sport which he often wins in competitions during middle school. A cruel fate awaits him when he enters high school. Because of his height, his performance is suddenly hampered and he cannot even handle the basic 3-step hurdle. His hope of being in the school team is dashed, let alone winning over his teammates. The more desperately he tries, the more he realises his goal is beyond reach. Can Allen overcome this challenge before high school ends?

Taiwan / HK co-production centers around a haunted house and has never been outside of Asia.

A heartwarming story about an old man who adopts two orphans. The three make a living by performing puppet shows and acrobatics on the streets.