Pan-Asian film organization Asian Pop-Up Cinema will return to the Windy City with its 8th season this March, with two stunning Taiwanese films and their cast scheduled to greet Chicago moviegoers on March 27 and 28.
"Sen Sen (生生)" is a coming-of-age drama featuring the titular young protagonist coping with the loss of his elder sibling. When sifting through his belongings, Sen discovers that his brother had a unique hobby of following a live stream of an elderly cab driver known simply as Granny. Given three months to live, Granny has obstinately insisted to live her last 100 days as she pleases by live-streaming her journeys and adventures, bonding with Sen through smartphone as they both face the reality of death.
Taiwan director Bon An (安邦) and Nina Paw Hee-ching (鮑起靜), a Hong Kong actress who captured the complexities of Granny's character, will be on site to present an introduction to the film and hold a post-screening Q&A discussion on March 27.
"High Flash (引爆點)" opens with wide media coverage of a large-scale protest against a petrochemical giant and the death of fisherman Ah-hai by self-immolation. Medical examiner Chou is assigned to the case with Kim, a public prosecutor and Chou's ex-fiancé. When the two discover evidence of murder and signs of a major conspiracy, Chou is force to break protocol and conduct his own investigation to protect Kim.
Actor Wu Kang-jen (吳慷仁), who plays the medical examiner, and director Chuang Ching-shen (莊景燊) — who worked with auteurs Ma Tien-tsung (馬天宗), Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉), and Liao Ching-sung (廖慶松) to produce "High Flash" — will also be available on site for introductions and post-screening Q&As on March 28.
Both films will be screened at Chicago's AMC River East 21. "Sen Sen" will also be screened on March 28 at the Michigan State University and on March 30 at the University of Michigan as part of the 8th Asian Pop-Up Cinema on Tour.
The Taiwanese features will be presented in collaboration with the Taipei Cultural Center in New York and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. The full lineup and schedule is available at asianpopupcinema.org and ny.us.taiwan.culture.tw.