Through Her Vision: New Cinema Re-Imagined seeks to explore the important cultural event of Taiwan New Cinema from a fresh perspective ― her perspective. Not only does this continue the Taiwan New Cinema Revisited retrospective in 2022, but it also reinvestigates New Cinema as an "ever-flowing field of energy." It shifts the focus towards women both in front and behind the camera, setting off on a journey through their films and the works of filmmakers with diverse gender identities to reveal the multiple narratives of New Cinema.

In Taiwan New Cinema, women have a covert yet critical presence. With the rise of women's self-awareness and the feminist movement in the 1980s, and despite New Cinema being male-dominated, films began to present a more diverse exploration of female imagery, giving an impression of progressiveness. However, the industry during the New Cinema era still upheld traditional and stereotypical structures, with female filmmakers struggling to gain due recognition, and the discourse on their contributions to New Cinema remaining sparse.

Moreover, many women who went abroad to study film returned to Taiwan only to encounter setbacks. Some were left with unfulfilled cinematic dreams, while others had delayed their film practices. Some works, such as documentaries and experimental films, didn't fit into the frame of New Cinema. Even though they were often ignored in the discourse of New Cinema, their creative visions shed light on a different aspect of the time.

Therefore, we have grouped 29 films into two sections: "Her in New Cinema" and "Her Beyond New Cinema." The former explores the contributions of women in various roles within New Cinema, such as director Sylvia Chang, actress Yang Li-yin, writer/screenwriter Chu Tien-wen, and assistant director Hsu Shu-chen, hoping to create new focal points in the audience's viewing experience and encourage a rethinking of the collective and collaborative nature of filmmaking. The latter showcases filmmakers and works from the 1980s and 1990s that were produced outside the framework of Taiwan New Cinema, such as Claire Pei's The Toy Gun (1981) and Cheang Shu-lea's Fresh Kill (1994), depicting another imagination of film practice.

The opening event will feature a special screening of the digitally restored The Woman of Wrath (1984), which holds symbolic significance. This film not only delves into female oppression but is also one of the representative works of literary adaptations by female writers from the New Cinema period. Additionally, the extended exhibition displays documents and artifacts related to these films and filmmakers, offering an in-depth opportunity to understand the stories behind New Cinema and the female filmmakers' contributions.

Through this special topic, we aspire for the audience not only to rediscover the rich layers of New Cinema but also to feel the profound influence of female filmmakers on Taiwan's cinema and culture. The program title was chosen as "Her" rather than "Their" to acknowledge that, unlike their male peers in New Cinema, these individuals were unable to form a collective force and a mutual community at the time. It also aims to emphasize an individual perspective, re-examining New Cinema to reveal each one's life journey and cinematic vision, thereby reconstructing another narrative and reimagining New Cinema.

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Program Adjustments

【Brochure Errata】

• p.11、p.26, Yours and Mine (1997) running time 118min→114min.

【Post-screening Q&A Adjustments】(updated 2024/06/14)

• 6/29 The QA guest of The Lady Avenger changed from director YANG Chia-yun to HOU Chi-jan, director of Taiwan Black Movies.

【Changes concerning the film rating】(updated 2024/05/30)

• The Woman of Wrath (Restored)：PG12 → PG15
• A Summer At Grandpa's：G → P
• Out of the Blue (Restored)：G → P
• Yours and Mine：P → PG12
• Autumn Tempest：PG12 → PG15
• The Toy Gun：P → PG12
• Her Beyond New Cinema Shorts 1：G → P
• Her Beyond New Cinema Shorts 3：P → PG12