Discoveries from Taiwan World Cinema

Time can dilute sexual desire, but will it arouse the emotions between them?

Taipei, 1990s. Pizza boy JJ bumps one day into his ex-girlfriend Pony who is now pursuing a lesbian relationship with Mimi. On his first visit to the girl JJ gives in to Pony's seduction and makes love to her in the presence of Mimi who is seemingly asleep... Pony is now enjoying the secret excitement of her affair with JJ while Mimi tries hard to put up with it. But as days go by, JJ finds himself more and more obsessed with Mimi. At this stage none of the three is sure of what they want from love...

Lynn has been living away from her husband Kenji and daughter, enjoying a pseudo-single life in China. In pursuit of freedom, she dreams of building a house in her hometown, now a burgeoning tourist hub. She works closely with Long, a married colleague, and their growing mutual attraction complicates her plans. Facing gender biases and local bureaucracy, Lynn strikes a land deal, causing conflicts between the village councilor and his divorced daughter. As her house nears completion, Lynn realises it has come at the cost of estrangement from her husband, daughter, and even herself.

A detective team receives a mysterious anonymous letter claiming the sender stole their magnifying glass, along with a riddle. Lucky and his friend John embark on a journey from the classroom to the playground, finally reaching the field where they discover the last clue has been taken by the school bully.

In order to retrieve his passport back, Tien meets up with his ex-boyfriend Fan in a Japanese bar. After a few drinks, both of them start getting awkward and intense. They both realize that they can never go back like what they used to be.

After four decades, a group of veteran singers gather together again. The songs they wrote when they were young had once changed the fate of the island. However, time took away their youth and changed the island's soul. Not only a new national identity has formed but so many new music genres have emerged since then. Can the innocent songs they sang back in the old days still be related to the new era?

Grandma and her two grandsons live in the same apartment, and everyone is busy under one roof. Although they care about each other, there is a gap between two generations. One day, Grandma received a wedding invitation from her granddaughter. She was looking forward to preparing for the wedding and hoped that the two grandsons would accompany her. On the morning of the wedding, both grandsons had more important things to do. . . . . . .

The G.O.D. Organization, a new syndicate even greater than Satan Organization and Desmoron, plan to drain Hong Kong's freshwater supply to show the world that they can destroy the human race. At the same time, they plan to attack Dr. Guo Dong and his son, Qian Da-Long, who is killed by them. In an effort to revive him, Guo Dong transfers his energy and life to his son to transform him into Super Rider X. Qian meets the other Super Riders and they begin a last fight to destroy the leader and minions of G.O.D.

A mentally challenge woman fights for her daughter in the process shows the value of love and family.

Kai, whose father used to be a national boxer and uncle teaches boxing at school, is fond of boxing. Kai and his uncle have, nevertheless, secretly participated in competitions though he is strictly forbidden to do so, and eventually lead to a cruel and contradictory outcome.

After her birth, Nien-hua never met her father and was raised solely by her mother. She lived with her mother and older sister in a community building named “Viva Family.” To outsiders, her mother seemed to excessively pamper her children, but in reality, she used various forms of violence to discipline them. At the age of 23, Nien-hua receives a strange message on Facebook from her father, who had never been present in her life. He talks about their brief marriage in a way Nien-hua has never heard before. This regret of never having met her father leads Nien-hua to decide to meet him. As the director seeks to unravel this repressed event, she discovers that each person remembers it in a vastly different way. In the search for truth, everyone reveals their own secrets and inadvertently confirms a recurring dream.

“Stone and River... They used to be together for the past lives. This life, they haven’t recognized each other yet.” Today, Stone goes spelunking in Shoushan with River, surrounded by the beautiful karst and lovely animals. When they sit in nature, they encounter the most beautiful moment. However, River is afraid that Stone might leave her one day...

AKA Happy Hero - Follow the exciting action as 3 young men uncover the corrupted actions of the superintendents only to find further perils. Action packed martial arts flick.

In 2014, when protesting against the Cross-strait Service Trade Agreement that was hastily approved, a group of protesters stormed into the Taiwanese parliament and ended up occupying the assembly hall for 24 days. Questions are raised - what is democracy? What is the government? What is violence? What is our future? What is the happiness we seek? Who is "we"?

Xiao Wu, A Tu, and Jack, who grew up together, retake their high school entrance exams at 17, just before turning 18. All three experience their first love. Xiao Wu and A Tu participate in a car-themed social event and both develop feelings for Aya, though they keep their feelings hidden. Xiao Wu, seeing himself attending a third-rate school, decides to drop out and pursue Aya openly. Their romance is finally revealed, but they can’t escape the lessons of growing up as Xiao Wu fulfills the mandatory military service. Aya and A Tu are drawn to each other, disregarding their friendship. At 17, their relationship abruptly ends in pain and loss.

Mr. Chang's life changes dramatically when his home disappears from the face of the Earth. On the quest to find his home, he has to rethink his identity and existence.

Taiwan martial arts film also known as 一代豪傑, Black Belt, or Black Belt The Roaming Hero (Wu Tang Collection).

A gifted young fighter undergoes some advanced bionic training making him an invincible martial artist; his skills are put to the ultimate test when he must face the Terror of Siam a ruthless Thai fighter.

In an old photography studio, an old man and a group of young men meet. The old man has seen everything, but is determined to live a full life until the very end. The young men have just begun their lives, but feel aimless, lost and insecure. One man's story is ending, while the young men's stories are just beginning. Between their differences, a lesson on life is found.

30 years after the Taiwanese New Wave first emerged, the veterans such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang remain active in their careers. Ten of Edward Yang's former assistants have become directors. The filmmakers of the younger generation are facing a Taiwanese audience hungry for films that link them with Taiwanese society, whether they are fictional or not.

About remembrance, of course, but also about the aromas that remain after farewell. A woman says farewell to her coffee shop after 20 years. A regular client is the only person to share this special moment with her. On the radio, farewell to a beloved dancer. With Tsai Ming-liang as the regular client.

Three young girls on their way to adulthood. Xiao-Bu fights over a cigarette with her friend Angel. Ah-Mi sleeps with Xiao-Bu’s boyfriend. He is very popular and lets Angel steal a kiss. Can it get any worse? Life with a depressive, alcoholic father, who can only stare out of the window, for example. Or is it actually worse when dove excrements ruin the new dress that was supposed to be worn on the date with a handsome guy? When you are 17, a coin can still be thrown in order to make decisions. Should the friendship with Angel remain? Is everything that happened a coincidence? Adolescence without emotional chaos is like a life without reason. Is it really of importance who loves who the most, or is it just a game?

Hundreds of offshore wind turbines are being built in proximity to the habitat of endangered white dolphins, as a cetacean scholar tries to find a balance between development and marine ecology.

Li Hua, a drag show manager in Japan, gets a call from Taiwan telling her father has just passed away. After 30 years abroad, she goes back home, where she thought she would never return. But it is not only about the inheritance but also about the old flame she left behind: her sister-in-law. When they meet again, the intense attraction they felt for each other reappears instantly. Li Hua wants to make up for all the lost time, but how can they be together?

In the fall of 2022, in the midnight rain at the February 28th Peace Park, 'I' met a strange man who told me that he often came to play at midnight, and in the fall of 1954, in the midnight rain at the New Park in Taipei, Huang met a strange man who told him that he often came to play at midnight lately. These two intertwined periods of time and space reveal the encounters and emotional connections between gay men in Taiwan at different times.

Since getting married in Taiwan, Yun, a Vietnamese bride has been grounded all day with her baby. All she can do is watch the shopping channels on TV and imagine that if she puts on those gorgeous clothes, she will be more beautiful than her husband's mistress. ​One day, she is trapped on the top floor of the townhouse by accident.

A short film that explores themes of familial relationships and crime, wrapped in the setting of a second-hand car dealership.

Taiwanese action film.

Taiwanese movie

Although the Chinese government promised that Hong Kong would retain separate status until 2047, in recent years the Chinese state has consolidated its power over the metropolis. Large-scale protests by the populace have been brutally suppressed. This mix of documentary, fiction, and visions of the future reveals the current state of desolate depression among the people of Hong Kong. “A desperate attempt to capture the final moments of a sinking island”, as maker Chan Tze-woon himself puts it.

Based on actual events, this human tragedy follows a 12-year-old child soldier, Su Su Myat, and her mute brother, Tin Min, who are imprisoned after deserting their first combat mission. Punished with no food or water, Su Su Myat is forced to choose between killing her seriously ill brother for her own survival, or risk dying with him.

Having grown up in the mountains Chiayi, installation artist WANG Wen-chih weaves his memories of mountains and forests into his work. Using natural materials such as bamboo, rattan and wood, WANG creates his art with hands and collective labor. The huge spaces he constructs emit such deep and strong power that surprise and move countless visitors. This film follows WANG on his journey of creation.

A Music Video made for Lucky Old Sun’s song ‘马马虎虎‘ (Ma Ma Hu Hu) from their new album ‘‘うすらい“. A group of young girls and boys having their summer fantasy with a few daydreams, romance and kungfu actions!

A gongfu feature about the mysterious deaths that keep occurring at an inn in the forest.

"18 Li"'s wife and children gets killed by the leader of the "Heaven Sect" and its' followers. "18 Li" goes to seek out the killer and to take revenge.

Chen Cheng-Tsai works primarily in video art, photography, and mixed media installations. This work was created during his postgraduate studies in Germany. The trees rotate 360 degrees, and the artit's face reflected in the water, distorted by the ripples, iss overlapped by the trees. The sound of a bell also plays a continuous rythm.

Taiwan's democracy is the envy of Chinese people all over the world. At the same time, when this two-party system-'blue' and 'green'-get at each other's throats, it seems to cast a dark cloud over this beacon of advancing democratization. How does the young generation, many of them first time voters, feel about the political environment they've inherited? Will they allow for their political differences to drive a deeper wedge into the Taiwanese society? A year and a half before Taiwan's 2012 Presidential Election I gathered a group of young people from across the blue and green spectrum to participate in a political dialogue. Although they're from opposing parties, they were willing to talk politics. Through these deliberately arranged dialogues, what sparks will fly?

A young female scam caller gain an ATM card which she should have never touched by incident. The mule who lost the card was tortured almost to dead. She must break the dilemma and save both the mule and herself.

A rookie filmmaker on a TV production set tries to survive a constraining environment where people don't respect her boundaries. During the wrap party, she begins to process what she experienced.

After school, Xiao-Ci wants to talk to her mother about what happened in school today, but her mother was too busy looking for the evidence to prove Xiao-Ci ’s father is still smoking secretly. Xiao-Ci’s mother was sure that, last night, she heard the sound of a lighter: “Pada!”

Horror film.

A mountain girl sets out to avenge her murdered father.

Two best friends discover a deeper meaning of life as they grow closer.

Freelance taxi driver A-Tien fights against a tyrannical taxi union to protect the taxi industry.

Room 12 is a place where people leave their final wills. A boy arrives at Room 12 and meets the owner of the place. They have a strange encounter and each of them understand more about what the other is thinking about.

An Indigenous Amis family hunts snails by headlight after a midnight rain on Taiwan’s eastern coast. Back home, as they butcher, clean, and cook them, family members pass on their endangered language to a younger generation and trade ghost stories that echo the fragility of inherited identities.

Lily is always along with Sen and Annie. They go to school together, join the guitar club, and share the same youth. Hopefully that their friendship could last ever after. At the same time, Lily found that her feelings for Annie seem to have changed. One day, Sen is going to immigrate. However, Lily is too late to tell the secret to Sen, she makes every effort to seize the days. On the last night, Lily and Sen decided to stay at the campus overnight. Accidentally, Lily found a regret left behind by Sen.

An unlucky accident changes A-Mian's body dramatically. She might find a way to make her daughter stay with her forever. This time she is determined to find perpetual happiness.

After losing contact with each other for years, the son finds out that his father is homeless. During the night of their reunion, the two try to figure out their relationship and their opposing identities.

Mu-shin, once a single mother, suffered from the loss of her blind little girl, who passed away three years ago. Working as a masseuse and living as a social outcast following the accident, she stopped caring and believing in anything. Her life remained meaningless until the day the same genetic disease which caused her daughter to go blind started to plague her life. Without knowing the real reason, she subconsciously refused to undergo treatment. As Mu-shh gradually lost her eyesight, she started to use her sense of touch to communicate with the rest of the world. As her world grows darker, she realizes her reason for stepping into the darkness is not a means to an end, but a meaningful beginning of something new.

A life begins, then it shall end, natural laws of the universe that mustn’t be disturbed. When people choose to end their lives, they must face the consequences: a series of challenges which await them.​

At the beginning of the film, Master Chang is killed by a man dressed in a golden suit (Golden Bird) wearing a mask. The weapon used was called the Poison Phoenix (a stuffed blackbird with poison on its beak) only known to be used by Golden Bird, and the only item missing from the scene is the "Rainbow Sword" - the only weapon that can combat the Zu Ling Knife (sword).

A tribe of snake-men are out to wreak havoc on a Miao minority group. Old Chang is not only the witch-doctor of the Miao people, but he and his two sons also help defend them against the intruders.

In Minnan, pineapple rhymes with ‘luck’ and is an auspicious symbol. Carrying a pineapple with him, a young man travels with his mentally handicapped younger brother from their hometown in the provinces to Taipei, where a relative works in a factory. There the brothers witness a scene of labour dispute. Will the pineapple bring them luck after all? After scripting Love Is a Gun (2023), winner of the Lion of the Future award at the Venice International Film Festival 2023, LIN Cheng-hsun presents this new short, a dramatisation of brotherly affection, through a sophisticated command of cinematic and narrative devices.