Following the nationwide buzz generated by A Foggy Tale (2025), acclaimed director CHEN Yu-hsun and actor TSENG Jing-hua have reunited for a new collaboration: The Missing Film Courier, the latest brand film for the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI). The film held its world premiere today (June 24), with CHEN and TSENG appearing in person to share behind-the-scenes stories and reflect on the evolution of Taiwan’s film industry. In the film, TSENG Jing-hua rides a vintage motorcycle and learns how to restore physical film reels, stepping into the roles of both a film courier and a film restoration specialist for the first time. Inspired by director CHEN Yu-hsun, TSENG  also unleashes his inner comedian.

Written and directed by CHEN Yu-hsun, The Missing Film Courier showcases his signature comedic style while incorporating numerous hidden references and cinematic easter eggs. TFAI Chairperson Arthur CHU recalled, “Last July, TFAI hosted a 30th-anniversary outdoor screening of Tropical Fish (1995). While Director CHEN was still carried away by the occasion, I sat down beside him and said, ‘Director, now that you’ve finished A Foggy Tale, would you have time to make a brand film for TFAI?” The strategically timed invitation drew laughter from the audience. CHEN readily agreed on the spot. However, in his trademark humorous fashion, he later joked that after writing the script, he couldn’t help but regret saying yes.

The story begins on Ximending’s bustling cinema street thirty years ago, when iconic theaters such as LUX CINEMA, Hoover Theatre, Sun Cinema, Wanguo Theatre, and Shin Sheng Theatre lined the district. In the era before digital distribution, films could not be transmitted online. Instead, projection depended on “film couriers” who traveled between theaters delivering physical reels by motorcycle, ensuring screenings could proceed on schedule. Director CHEN Yu-hsun said, “We had to recreate scenes from 1995, incorporate time travel to the future, and handle all the visual effects!” He also took a hands-on approach to the production, composing the music and playing the guitar himself. What moved him most, however, was the enormous support from the cast and crew, all of whom readily agreed to take part in the project. “It wasn’t because they like me,” he joked. “It’s because everyone wanted to contribute to the preservation and promotion of film and audiovisual heritage.” The film stars TSENG Jing-hua, fresh from winning the Best Lead Actor at the Global OTT Awards. CHEN also expressed his gratitude to the award-winning creative team who generously lent their support, including cinematographer CHOU Yi-hsien, production designer WANG Chih-cheng, visual effects supervisor Tomi KUO, editor PAN Ke-yin, sound mixer LU Lu-ming, and sound designer TU Duu-Chih, as well as actors Greg HSU and Gingle WANG,who authorized the use of their likenesses for the film’s futuristic robots.

Location shooting took place in Ximending, where streets were temporarily closed to recreate the atmosphere of the past and allow TSENG to experience the work of a film courier firsthand aboard a vintage motorcycle. TSENG Jing-hua said that he found the script intriguing from the moment he read it. Before taking part in the project, however, he had no idea such a profession had ever existed. “While filming, I could really feel the passion behind the work, especially during the scenes of delivering film reels by motorcycle,” he said. “It made me realize how many steps and how much manpower used to be involved in bringing a film to the screen. I really love that atmosphere of people working together so audiences can enjoy a movie in the cinema,” he added. At the premiere of the promotional film, both TSENG Jing-hua and director CHEN Yu-hsun had the opportunity to experience the weight of a film reel firsthand. “It’s so heavy!” CHEN exclaimed. A single reel weighs about three kilograms, and at least four reels are typically required to screen a feature film. With the arrival of the digital era, the profession of the film courier gradually disappeared. As such, TFAI’s promotional film The Missing Film Courier is not only a story about TSENG Jing-hua’s character being abducted by a robot and mysteriously disappearing; it also tributes to the many professions that have vanished from the film industry over time, as well as to the precious film and audiovisual heritage they helped preserve for future generations.

The latter part of the film was shot at TFAI’s Xinzhuang headquarters in New Taipei City, including its lobby, library, and cinemas, whose minimalist white interiors provide a distinctive visual setting. In the story, TSENG is left in the year 2126 by robots resembling popular Taiwanese stars Greg HSU and Gingle WANG, where he assists with film restoration work. The painstaking process requires cleaning and repairing film frame by frame before completing digital image enhancement on computers. From filming, projection, and film delivery in the past to contemporary preservation and restoration practices, every stage of film audiovisual production demands physical endurance, professional expertise, and accumulated experience. Whether in front of or behind the camera, in the past or the future, film and audiovisual works are collective achievements that become all the more irreplaceable through the efforts of many people. The film also highlights the crucial role TFAI plays in safeguarding Taiwan’s film and audiovisual heritage and preserving the nation’s shared memory. The Missing Film Courier is now available in full on the official social media channels of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute via https://tfaitw.psee.ly/97cvca

TFAI hosted the world premiere of its new brand film The Missing Film Courier. From left, CEO DU Li-chin, actor TSENG Jing-yua, director CHEN YU-hsun, Chairperson Arthur CHU. (Courtesy of TFAI) 

Director CHEN Yu-hsun and actor TSENG Jing-hua have reunited for a new collaboration: The Missing Film Courier. (Courtesy of TFAI)

The Missing Film Courier was filmed in Ximenting. Director CHEN Yu-hsun gives on-set direction to TSENG Jing-hua as he portrays a film courier. (Courtesy of TFAI)

The Missing Film Courier was filmed in Ximenting. Director CHEN Yu-hsun gives on-set direction to TSENG Jing-hua as he portrays a film courier. (Courtesy of TFAI)

In TFAI’s new brand film The Missing Film Courier, TSENG Jing-hua takes on the role of a film restoration specialist. (Courtesy of TFAI)

Reuniting after their collaboration on A Foggy Tale, director CHEN Yu-hsun and actor TSENG Jing-hua have once again joined forces for The Missing Film Courier, a new brand film for the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. (Courtesy of TFAI)