Spanning nine days beginning April 7, the 2023 Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival (GHFFF) is back in Taipei with a series of film screenings, featuring a diverse range of genres, including Sci-Fi, horror, thriller, musical, comedy, Wuxia, animation, romance, and cult films.
Organized by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, "Eye of the Storm (疫起)," the latest film by Golden Bell award-winning director Lin Chun-yang (林君陽) has been selected as the opening film of the festival. Based on the hospital lockdown incident during the SARS pandemic that shook Taiwan in 2003, the film portrays human conflicts through a genre-based approach. As for closing, the organizer has infused a hint of surprise into the program, marking the first time that the closing film is to be revealed only after the screening starts.
As for the program, director Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the most prominent filmmakers of all time, is featured under the "Filmmaker in Focus" segment, showcasing a retrospective of his career, including his latest work, Licorice Pizza.
Every year, the GHFFF has several exciting events in store for attendees, including "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," the signature event of the festival that will take the stage for the 13th time this year. Additionally, the festival hosts "Party Screenings," which turns the theater into a karaoke venue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing?" and showcase the worldwide musical sensation "Moulin Rouge!" on the big screen once again. In addition, "The Midnight Marathon" will also be a highlight, featuring "The Night Logan Woke Up," directed by the acclaimed Cannes director Xavier Dolan, offering audiences the opportunity to spend the night immersed in a 30-year family saga full of love, hatred, secrets, and drama.
The GHFFF, which is popular throughout Taiwan and attended by over 40,000 people every year, showcases a total of 45 films from around the world, with more than 130 screenings this year. As the first festival in Taiwan to focus on fantasy-related themes, the GHFFF has been pushing the boundaries of imagination since 2010.