Kaohsiung (October 20, 2025) — Now in full swing, the 2025 Kaohsiung Film Festival has joined hands with the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) to present the special program “Tribute to PAI Ching-jui（致敬・白景瑞）.” The program pays homage to the acclaimed filmmaker who received both the Golden Horse Award for Best Director and the Lifetime Achievement Award. Three of PAI’s representative works—Lonely Seventeen (寂寞的十七歲, 1967), Accidental Trio (今天不回家, 1969), and Good Bye! Darling (再見阿郎, 1970)—were screened in newly restored digital versions, revisiting Kaohsiung’s cinematic past and bringing the late Golden Horse Best Actor KO Chun-hsiung（柯俊雄） back to the big screen in all his youthful brilliance.

In the 1960s, PAI Ching-jui traveled to Europe to study film and was profoundly influenced by Italian Neorealism. His filmmaking approach—emphasizing on-location shooting and natural lighting—stood in contrast to the “Healthy Realism” trend that was taking shape in Taiwan, enabling him to authentically capture the cityscapes and social atmosphere of the era.

 ➤TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU remarked: “Lonely Seventeen is not merely a coming-of-age story; it reflects the social imagination and emotional landscape of its time.” (Courtesy of Kaohsiung Film Festival)

After the screening of Lonely Seventeen on October 18, TFAI Chairman Arthur Chu（褚明仁） addressed the audience: “Lonely Seventeen is not merely a coming-of-age story; it reflects the social imagination and emotional landscape of its time. Even after half a century, we can still feel its sincerity and strength.”

He added: “In the industrializing Kaohsiung of the 1960s, countless local laborers carried Taiwan’s progress forward. Screening these films in Kaohsiung today allows us to revisit that era and applaud the city and the people who shaped it.”

 ➤TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU noted that seeing PAI’s works return to their original filming locations and reconnect with audiences is “a rare and magical cinematic experience.” (Courtesy of Kaohsiung Film Festival)

When Lonely Seventeen premiered in 1967, it swept multiple prizes at the 6th Golden Horse Awards, including Best Director, Best Color Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Sound Recording—an enduring testament to its significance. Interestingly, KO Chun-hsiung, who starred in both Lonely Seventeen and Good Bye! Darling, grew up in Kaohsiung, while Accidental Trio also features scenes filmed in the city. For local audiences, the return of these restored works to Kaohsiung marks a rare and magical encounter with Taiwan’s cinematic history.

As part of the program, poet, filmmaker, and theatre director Hung Hung（鴻鴻）delivered a special lecture titled “The Magician of Desire — The Cinematic Spectrum of PAI Ching-jui.” He shared that the three films not only highlight PAI’s distinct personal style but also revolve around the central theme of desire.

“During the Martial Law period, and under the constraints of the Mandarin-language policy, PAI Ching-jui still managed to depict deeply local, realistic environments infused with symbols of desire—something truly remarkable,” Hung Hung remarked.

In Lonely Seventeen, a teenage girl becomes ensnared in the complexities of first love;

Accidental Trio uses multiple narratives to explore the frustrations of middle-class families seeking escape from routine life; and in Good Bye! Darling—adapted from CHEN Yingzhen’s short story Generals—the young woman Kuei-chih elopes with the drifter A-lang to Kaohsiung, only to find him consumed by the city’s temptations.

Hung Hung further noted: “PAI pioneered the three-hall romantic film genre and excelled at urban comedies. Though market forces later favored melodramas, he continued to push visual experimentation within commercial forms.”

 ➤ “During the Martial Law period and under the Mandarin-language policy, PAI Ching-jui still managed to depict deeply local, realistic environments infused with symbols of desire—something truly remarkable,” said Hung Hung. (Courtesy of Kaohsiung Film Festival)

He also emphasized how Good Bye! Darling showcases KO Chun-hsiung’s enduring magnetism: “A-lang is far from a likable character, yet through KO’s performance, this volatile, instinct-driven man radiates wild charisma. At just 25 years old, KO embodied an energy that still captivates audiences today.”

The screenings marked the Taiwan premiere of the digitally restored Lonely Seventeen and the Asian premieres of the restored Accidental Trio and Good Bye! Darling. Even after more than fifty years, PAI Ching-jui’s explorations of human desire and modern life continue to resonate with contemporary viewers.