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MORETFAI Strengthens Global Ties Through Recent International Exchanges
Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) has been actively elevating Taiwan's audiovisual heritage on the global stage through extensive international partnerships and collaborations. With a rich history of successful cooperation with renowned institutions and prestigious film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Berlin, TFAI has firmly established itself as a respected leader in promoting Taiwanese classic cinema worldwide. The Institute’s growing international prestige has attracted numerous global visitors eager to explore collaborative opportunities. In June alone, TFAI hosted distinguished delegations from the Tokyo International Film Festival, the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Far East Film Festival, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, the South Asian Think Tank Delegation, and Japan’s Taiwan Master Filmmakers Retrospective (台湾巨匠傑作選). These high-level exchanges underscore TFAI’s commitment to fostering meaningful dialogues in film restoration, archiving, audiovisual promotion, and research, further solidifying Taiwan’s influential presence in the international film community. On June 23rd, the Institute had the honor of welcoming Mr. ISHIZAKA Kenji, Senior Programmer of the Tokyo International Film Festival and one of the international film selectors for the 2025 Taipei Film Festival, during his visit to Taiwan. Mr. ISHIZAKA toured the Institute’s exhibitions on film restoration, which feature not only archival displays but also rare antique film equipment from the Institute’s collection and an extensive library. Mr. ISHIZAKA later met with TFAI Chairman Arthur CHU and the team to exchange views on film culture, archival practices, and regional collaborations. Both sides explored a range of promising avenues for future cooperation, signaling exciting possibilities ahead for exchanges between organizations. ➤ Mr. ISHIZAKA Kenji (second from the right), Senior Programmer of the Tokyo International Film Festival, visited TFAI and toured the Institute’s exhibition. ➤Arthur CHU, Chairman of TFAI, and Mr. ISHIZAKA Kenji posed in front of a poster for one of the Institute’s restored classic films. On June 26th, TFAI welcomed a distinguished delegation from the South Asian Think Tank at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The visiting group included emerging journalists, economists, filmmakers, and policy researchers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, representing diverse perspectives within the regional cultural and media landscape. ➤The South Asian Think Tank Delegation toured the Institute’s display of vintage filmmaking equipment. ➤The South Asian Think Tank Delegation met with the TFAI team to exchange insights on Taiwan’s audiovisual industry and the Institute’s role in preservation, restoration, and international collaboration. The delegation participated in a comprehensive facility tour and engaged in discussions with TFAI Deputy Director Ying-Chih LIN and Pecha LO, Supervisor of the Promotion and Cooperation Division. These exchanges explored Taiwan's evolving audiovisual industry, TFAI's film restoration initiatives, and the Institute's commitment to expanding public access to its extensive archival collections. On June 27th, Osaka Asian Film Festival’s Programming Director TERUOKA Sozo had a thorough meeting with TFAI to discuss the upcoming co-curated “Taiwan Classic Film Programme”, which will be an official activity of the 21st Osaka Asian Film Festival in conjunction with Expo 2025 Osaka. TFAI will present multiple newly restored films to global audiences. ➤TFAI and Osaka Asian Film Festival co-curate “Taiwan Classic Film Programme” as part of the Expo 2025 Osaka special selection. As we enter the second half of 2025, TFAI continues to expand its global presence within film preservation networks. In an era of rapid change, national film archives play an increasingly vital role in preserving cultural narratives and providing grounding through the irreplaceable moving images. TFAI seeks and welcomes collaboration with film archives, audiovisual institutions, and film festivals around the world. In the coming months, TFAI will be present at major international events such as the Venice International Film Festival, the SEAPAVAA Annual Conference, Lumière Festival's Marché International du Film Classique, and, in response to the Ministry of Culture’s initiative during the Expo 2025 Osaka, present a collection of Taiwanese classic films during the event.. TFAI is committed to working with like-minded partners around the world to advance the preservation and appreciation of moving images. -
MOREDigitally restored “Gorgeous” makes world premiere at Taipei Film Festival: An audacious literary adaptation brimming with puns that defied censorship
Nothing can stop the Taiwanese playing with puns, and it is true even in a film made four decades ago. Gorgeous (1985), the only Taiwanese film among the five selected for the Classics Revisited section, just had its world premiere at the Taipei Film Festival. As in the original novel, this screen adaptation is full of wordplay. The story follows a young man from a farming village in Southern Taiwan who looks for a job in an airline company; he not only has to quickly learn to survive the new workplace, but also deal with urban folks who blindly worship the West. To him, Taipei is not a city of glamor but absurdity. ➤ Gorgeous (1985) holds its world premiere in the Classics Revisited section at Taipei Film Festival (Courtesy of TFAI) This digitally restored version of Gorgeous, shown in the Classics Revisited section at the Taipei Film Festival, was completed by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI). Arthur CHU, the chairman of TFAI, attended the world premiere and introduced the film to the audience before the screening: “When we talk about Taiwanese cinema, especially from an international perspective, we immediately think about the 'Taiwan New Cinema' movement. Yet in 1985, alongside acclaimed directors like HOU Hsiao-hsien and KO I-cheng, there was another group of filmmakers who, while not classified under the New Cinema banner, were equally committed to creating films that spoke directly to the audiences and sought success in the box office. Director CHANG Mei-chun’s Gorgeous stands as a representative example of such efforts.” Adapted from WANG Tsen-ho’s eponymous novel, Gorgeous cleverly reflects the social atmosphere caught between the U.S.-Taiwan diplomatic break-up and a craze for all things Western. In the film, “gorgeous refers to white-collar workers in the airline company, who consider themselves superior; they have family members who are either green card holders or have immigrated to the US, representing a certain social class that worships the country. ➤ Chairman of TFAI, Arthur Chu, made a special appearance at the world premiere of Gorgeous (1985), delivering an introduction and sharing insights with the audience before the screening. (Photo Credit: Taipei Film Festival / Chen Yan-Wen) Chairman CHU also pointed out that “In adapting Gorgeous, CHANG Mei-chun incorporated elements of fantasy sequences, monologues, and non-linear structures like flashbacks. In many ways, this can be seen as an attempt to break away from the confines of traditional narrative conventions.” LIN, the protagonist from a village in Southern Taiwan, is played by the then-new rising star YANG Ching-huang. The kind, innocent, and honest young man serves as a sharp contrast to the preposterous and laughable city folks. In an attempt to remember his colleague’s names “Dorothy” and “Rocky Tung”, LIN pronounced them in Taiwanese Hokkien, which just so happen to sound like “take out the trash” and “garbage can” in the language — and that left everyone laughing and shaking their heads. You can also see LIN Jui-yang, who was hailed as the “most handsome Taiwanese actor”, and other well-known actors such as Su Chu and A-pi-po, in cameo roles. On that, Chairman CHU further noted, “Gorgeous presents an aesthetic and performance distinctively different from that of Taiwan New Cinema. It retains the heightened dramatic flair of traditional commercial films, at times taking on what one might call exaggerated, overtly expressive acting. The film offers a valuable opportunity for us to revisit how filmmakers outside the New Cinema movement approached local themes, responded to the industry’s challenges, and met expectations of their audiences.” ➤ Rising star Yang Ching-huang (left) and “the most handsome actor in Taiwan” Lin Jui-yang (right) co-star in Gorgeous (Courtesy of TFAI) ➤Gorgeous portrays a young man from a farming village in Southern Taiwan working in an airline company in Taipei (Courtesy of TFAI) TFAI is dedicated to preserving and promoting the nation’s audiovisual heritage and continues to present landmark works in the history of Taiwanese cinema. The digitally restored version of Gorgeous not only preserves the marks left by an era of censorship but also reflects the market for commercial films at the time. Originally, some lines conveyed same-sex intimacy and scenes that showed the protagonist trading his body for coins; all these were deleted as a result of censorship and commercial concerns, which disrupted the development of the plot. However, many stereotypical depictions of gender or race were left intact in the film, revealing the shifts in social values over time that are worth pondering over. The hope is that these moments will spark thoughtful conversations among audiences. ➤ In Gorgeous, Taipei is not a city of glamor but absurdity (Courtesy of TFAI) Another special screening after the world premiere is scheduled on June 27th (Fri) at the Taipei Film Festival. Meanwhile, the film is invited to have its international premiere in July at the New York Asian Film Festival as a representative of Taiwan cinema in the NYAFF Rediscoveries – Classics Rebooted section. -
MOREBehind-the-Scenes Interviews with “Taiwan New Cinema” Filmmakers Now Public TFAI Open Museum Releases 1,000+ Invaluable Newsreels to Celebrate International Museum Day
To celebrate International Museum Day on May 18, 2025, the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) has released a wealth of new content on its TFAI Open Museum platform. This includes nearly 2,000 newsreels produced by the Taiwan Film Culture Company (TFCC) between 1970 and 1973, along with a series of oral history interviews commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan New Cinema movement — featuring career reflections from industry veterans such as I-chen KO, Ching-sung LIAO, TSENG Chuang-hsiang, and Loretta YANG. Through digital preservation, audiovisual documentation, and open access, this release showcases the museum’s role in safeguarding cultural memory and promoting public knowledge, advancing the core values of sustainable cultural preservation and public accessibility. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has designated the theme of International Museum Day 2025 as “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” exploring how museums can contribute and remain relevant amid social, technological, and environmental upheaval. In keeping with this theme, TFAI Open Museum has continued to expand this year, adding over 2,000 TFCC newsreels including: a 1970 report on the implementation of Taiwan’s nine-year compulsory education policy, reflecting a time when junior high school education was considered a “new model of education”; a 1971 feature capturing the opening of Coca-Cola’s new factory, with a fully automated production line illustrating the modernization of Taiwanese industries; and a 1972 news documentary on the devastation caused by Typhoon Rita. By making these archival materials publicly available and supporting their creative reuse and reinterpretation, the major events and social landscape of early 1970s Taiwan can reconnect with contemporary memories. ➤A 1971 feature capturing the opening of Coca-Cola’s new factory which is available on the platform. （image courtesy of TFAI） Another highlight of this newly released video series is a collection of invaluable oral history interviews recorded to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan New Cinema, featuring renowned filmmakers such as I-chen KO, Ching-sung LIAO, TSENG Chuang-hsiang, and Loretta YANG. These videos document their reflections on their unique journeys and various roles during the Taiwan New Cinema movement — both in front of and behind the camera — as directors, actors, and producers. For instance, Golden Horse Award-winning editor Ching-sung LIAO reveals that he faced a major career challenge while editing A City of Sadness: “The script had over 200 scenes, but director HOU[Hsiao-hsien] only shot a little over 100.” Loretta YANG fondly recalls her experience starring in Jade Love, and how she was deeply inspired by director CHANG Yi’s mastery in eliciting nuanced performances. Director I-chen KO also opens up about his true feelings when signing the Taiwan Cinema Manifesto, a pivotal moment that helped reshape the history of Taiwanese cinema. Each interviewee shares their personal experiences — whether it is the creative challenges of the era or the untold stories behind their films — offering a heartfelt testament to the passion and perseverance of that generation of filmmakers. ➤A collection of oral history interviews recorded to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Taiwan New Cinema, such as a veteran editor Ching-sung LIAO.（image courtesy of TFAI） The TFAI Open Museum has become a core platform for the preservation and exhibition of Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage, safeguarding the collective memories of the people. Its logo, based on the abbreviation “OM” for Open Museum, integrates the geometric aesthetics of a film reel and folded paper, symbolizing the inclusion of audiovisual assets and digitized paper archives, while also reflecting the museum’s openness and diversity. Through the TFAI Open Museum platform, we invite the public to join us in celebrating International Museum Day by revisiting the golden era of Taiwan New Cinema, and gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of Taiwan’s audiovisual history. ➤The TFAI Open Museum has become a core platform for the preservation and exhibition of Taiwan’s audiovisual heritage.（image courtesy of TFAI） -
MORETFAI Attends FIAF Congress in Search of Pre-1960s Audiovisual Heritage of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples
The 2025 Annual Congress of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) was held from April 27 to May 2 at the Cinémathèque Québécoise in Montreal, Canada. CEO Iris DU and Supervisor of Division of Research & Program Wood LIN from Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) are attending to meet with FIAF member institutions from around the world. Established in 1938 under the guidance of UNESCO, FIAF is a global organization focused on addressing the challenges of preserving and promoting the world’s film heritage. Its key mission includes collecting, cataloguing, and conserving filmed cultural assets, as well as encouraging public access through screenings and curatorial programs. The theme for this year’s congress is “Film Archives Beget Films”, highlighting how archival materials can inspire and foster the creation of new films and develop a new form of cinema that may encompass early cinema, scientific or home movies, military propaganda films, and queer cinema. The program includes Symposium, the Second Century Forum, Technical Commission workshops, the General Assembly, exhibitions, and film screenings. Greater interaction among film scholars, artists, and archive professionals is expected to spark new preservation methods and archival practices. During the general assembly on May 2, TFAI formally proposed a call to FIAF members for the identification and repatriation of pre-1960s audiovisual footage and related documents of Taiwanese Indigenous peoples. CEO Iris DU stated that “TFAI is deeply committed to decolonization and transitional justice, and we actively collect and preserve relevant audiovisual archives. Taiwan’s Indigenous communities have long been marginalized or overlooked. By reaching out internationally, we hope FIAF member institutions can help uncover long-forgotten footage that expands our collective historical memory. Such efforts would play a crucial role in building a more inclusive and representative historical narrative for Taiwan.” DU emphasized that the return of archival Indigenous materials is not merely a physical repatriation, but a matter of ethical and historical justice. Through the return and reinterpretation of these images, Indigenous communities in Taiwan can reclaim their own histories and develop their own visual narratives, asserting their cultural agency. Focusing on the theme of "Show, Resume," at this year’s FIAF symposium, Wood LIN presented a paper he co-authored with Wanling CHEN, the Head of Documentary at TFAI. Entitled“A Long Journey of Demystification of Historical Spectres: Media Transition, Artistic Transformation, and Open Access of Taiwan Film Studio Newsreels (1945–1985)”, the paper explores how these films, once tools of ideological dissemination produced by Taiwan Film Studios, have been digitized and preserved by TFAI. Furthermore, through curations by the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF) and creative archival projects, these newsreels are being reintroduced to the public realm. In the future, TFAI has launched an open-access "Taiwan Film Studio Newsreel Database" that invites reinterpretation and reuse, transforming historical footage into a sustainable audiovisual resource. The TFAI delegation also visited the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Montreal to introduce its key mission and explore future collaboration. Among the initiatives discussed was the Taiwan Cinema Toolkit—a curated collection of Taiwanese films intended for use by Canadian cultural institutions and film archives for film screening. The program could help to promote Taiwan Cinema internationally. As Taiwan’s representative to FIAF, TFAI aims to one day host a future congress, strengthening global ties and promoting international collaboration. To this end, TFAI plans to hold an international forum later this year, inviting professionals from global film archives to Taiwan to exchange insights. The forum is expected to inject new energy into Taiwan’s audiovisual preservation efforts.