Chinese Name: 蕭雅全
Born: Dec. 20, 1967
Did You Know That…?
Hsiao Ya-chuan was awarded with Best Director at the Taipei Film Festival in 2018 with his third feature film “Father to Son (范保德).” In addition, the film was nominated for five awards of the Golden Horse Awards that year, including Best New Performer, Best Art Direction, Best Original Film Score, and Best Original Film Song.
Hsiao Ya-chuan began creating video art when he was studying fine arts at the National Institute of the Arts (Now Taipei National University of the Arts). In 2000, he directed his first feature film, “Mirror Image (命帶追逐),” which earned him Best New Director Award at the 3rd Taipei Film Festival. The following year, he was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, his second feature film, “Taipei Exchanges (第36個故事),” won Audience Choice Award at the 12th Taipei Film Festival. In 2018, he completed his third feature film, “Father to Son (范保德)” and won Best Director Award at the 20th Taipei Film Festival.
Hsiao’s films are known for his distinctive style, not pandering to the mainstream market. Renowned Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) jokingly remarked that “Mirror Image” was destined to be a box-office bomb, but the film’s style aligns with Hsiao’s personality as an auteur.
However, after filming “Father to Son,” Hsiao realized that his works felt distanced from audiences. Despite “Father to Son” fully showcasing his aesthetic vision, it did not resonate with the movie market.
This realization inspired the creation of his next film “Old Fox (老狐狸),” which he aimed to foster greater interaction and dialogue with viewers. Set in the late 1980s, “Old Fox” explores an era where Taiwanese society began experiencing newfound freedoms after the lifting of martial law but faced social tensions due to outdated regulations and mindsets. These conflicts were particularly pronounced in the finance and investment sectors, where the upper class engaged in stock and mortgage speculation, widening the gap between rich and poor.
Hsiao did not attempt to elaborate on societal issues or propose a solution. Instead, his objective was to offer a different perspective for people to try to understand and empathize others, thereby preventing those issues from expanding or worsening.
“Old Fox” was released in Taiwan on Nov. 24, 2023, and Hsiao won Best Director for the film at the 60th Golden Horse Awards. In 2024, “Old Fox” was selected to represent Taiwan in competing for Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards.