The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) held its annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Restoration Showcase and Appreciation Ceremony outdoors in Beitou on October 31. The event featured the Asian premiere of TFAI’s latest restoration, Love Never Ceases (1962), accompanied by a special appearance by Golden Melody Award-winning singer Chris HUNG, who performed several classic songs. TFAI also took the opportunity to express its gratitude to donors from various sectors for their support of the preservation and restoration of Taiwan’s film, television, and radio heritage. Minister of Culture LI Yuan attended the ceremony and presented an award to “veteran film enthusiast” YEH Chin-shing in recognition of her financial contributions to Taiwanese film restoration, turning the lifelong star-chaser into one of the stars of the event.
In keeping with this year’s theme celebrating 70 years of Taiwanese-language cinema, TFAI expanded its World Day for Audiovisual Heritage celebrations beyond Xinzhuang for the first time, bringing the festivities to Beitou, once known as “Taiwan Hollywood .” TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU shared a story from the previous evening, when an elderly passerby stopped to watch the trailer for Love Never Ceases as the event team was setting up the screen and stage. The passerby watched for quite some time before remarking, “I saw this film when I was a child. So nostalgic! I would love to see it again.” CHU reflected emotionally, “Cinema is part of our collective memory. Thank you all for your continued support of TFAI’s preservation and restoration efforts. We will continue working hard to preserve everyone’s shared memories and history through television, film, and radio.”
Minister of Culture LI Yuan personally presented awards to “Taiwanese-Language Film Rescue Team” representative LEE Yung-chuan; “veteran film enthusiast” YEH Chin-shing; and CHEN Shu-li, representing the family of Taiwan’s “national treasure” movie poster artist CHEN Tzu-fu. Visibly moved, LI Yuan remarked that TFAI was holding its World Day for Audiovisual Heritage celebrations in Beitou for the first time, declaring, “Today is a beautiful day.” He recalled meeting YEH for the first time at an event celebrating 70 years of Taiwanese-language cinema on September 2, when she emotionally told him, “It breaks my heart that the Ministry of Culture’s budget has been cut,” and offered to donate NT$100,000. Her gesture, along with the discovery that she had already been making regular donations in the hope of contributing to TFAI’s restoration efforts, made him realize that no matter how many setbacks they faced, “there is tremendous support from the public.” He likened this to the journey of Taiwanese society and cinema, from the difficult filming conditions of the early years to the rise and decline of Taiwanese-language films, followed by the downturn and eventual revival of Taiwan’s domestic film industry. All of this, he noted, had been made possible through the contributions of individuals, one small gesture at a time. With this in mind, he felt that his own hardships were insignificant by comparison. He therefore made a point of attending the ceremony in person to thank everyone for their support.
Meanwhile, veteran film enthusiast YEH Chin-shing has been captivated by Taiwanese-language opera films since elementary school and has spent the past 60 years following her favorite stars. Honored for her continued generous donations to TFAI’s annual Taiwanese film restoration program, she enthusiastically remarked, “I love the Taiwanese-language film stars of our generation. Taiwanese-language films and Taiwanese cinema are my source of emotional support and my lifelong passion! I will do whatever I can and contribute as much as I am able.” Despite her enthusiasm, YEH prefers to keep a low profile, hoping only that her actions will encourage more people to support TFAI’s efforts to collect, preserve, and digitally restore Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage. To support TFAI’s work, please visit: https://tfaitw.pse.is/9t2z8e
The “Taiwanese-Language Film Rescue Team” was a task force established by TFAI during its days as the National Film Archive. In 1990, its members traveled to towns and villages across Taiwan in search of Taiwanese-language film prints that had been stored away in private collections or discarded. Accepting the award, LEE Yung-chuan said: “For everyone on our team, being part of this effort changed our lives. Back then, there were very few leads to help us locate Taiyupian, so we had to find ways to track down the directors, visit them in person, and conduct interviews to document and preserve their stories and materials. Thanks to TFAI's ongoing commitment to research and preservation, audiences today can enjoy these remarkable films.”
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Taiwanese-language cinema, and the ceremony in Beitou also coincided with the 100th anniversary of the birth of film poster artist CHEN Tzu-fu. Born on October 31, 1926, in Ximending’s “Cinema Street” district, he created more than 1,000 posters for Taiwanese and international films throughout his career, becoming an important witness to and participant in Taiwan’s cinematic history. His family representative, CHEN Shu-li, accepted the award on his behalf and shared her heartfelt reflections: “Our father has always been the pride of our family!
The appreciation ceremony was followed by a live performance from Golden Melody Award-winning singer Chris HUNG, who joined the dramAcapella Ensemble to sing several classic songs from TFAI’s latest restoration, Love Never Ceases (1962), which marked his father ANG It-hong’s first leading role. The platform at Xinbeitou Station was designed to extend the film’s setting into the real world, as nearly a thousand audience members gathered on the expansive lawn at dusk, listening intently to renditions of “Heartless Train,” “Happy Ranch,” and the film’s title song “Love Never Ceases,” setting the mood for the screening to come.
During the pre-screening discussion, Chris HUNG shared: “Performing on a stage like this, with such a wonderful atmosphere, was truly moving. I’m sure my father would have been so happy if he were still here, seeing how many people still love the Hung family.” He also stated that: “Preparing for this performance gave me a rare opportunity to revisit my father’s films and bring them together with my own performance today. It was a truly special experience.”
HUNG also expressed his gratitude to TFAI for its efforts in preserving and restoring classic films. “The meticulous restoration of Love Never Ceases allows audiences to revisit and relive these cherished memories. It also preserves valuable audiovisual records for future generations of Taiwan’s music scene.”
➤The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) held its annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Restoration Showcase and Appreciation Ceremony outdoors in Beitou on October 31. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤Minister of Culture LI Yuan presented awards at the ceremony. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤TFAI’s chairperson Arthu CHU reflected emotionally “Cinema is part of our collective memory. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤Minister of Culture LI Yuan personally presented the award to “veteran film
enthusiast” YEH Chin-shing. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤The day of TFAI’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Restoration Showcase and Appreciation Ceremony also marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of iconic movie poster artist CHEN Tzu-fu. Pictured are two of his hand-painted movie posters. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤The singer Chris HUNG shared: “Performing on a stage like this, with such a wonderful atmosphere, was truly moving. I’m sure my father would have been so happy if he were still here.” (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤Award-winning singer Chris HUNG joined the dramAcapella Ensemble to sing several classic songs. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤The singer also posed for a photo alongside a film poster featuring his father in his younger days. (Courtesy of TFAI)
➤TFAI held its annual World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Restoration Showcase and Appreciation Ceremony outdoors in Beitou on October 31. The event featured the Asian premiere of TFAI’s latest restoration, Love Never Ceases. (Courtesy of TFAI)
