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Taiwanese wuxia films to be screened in Manchester

  • Date:2022-08-06~2022-08-31
Taiwanese wuxia films to be screened in Manchester

From Aug. 6 through 31, filmgoers in the UK can delve into the history of Taiwanese wuxia with a five-film season dedicated to some of the most notable titles produced in the late 60s and early 70s. In collaboration with the Taipei Representative Office in the UK and the Ministry of Culture, HOME will present a range of Taiwanese swordplay films to audiences in Manchester.

The film lineup includes the brand-new restoration of Joseph Kuo (郭南宏)'s "The Swordsman of All Swordsmen (一代劍王)," "A City Called Dragon (龍城十日)," "The Ghost Hill (十萬金山)" "A Touch of Zen (俠女)" and "Iron Mistress (鐵娘子)."

Restored by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, "The Swordsman of All Swordsmen" tells the story of a man who sees his family killed as a child. He then spends years honing his fighting skills until he is ready to take his revenge. Widely regarded as the greatest martial arts epic of all time, "A Touch of Zen" won awards worldwide, smashed box-office records and had an incalculable influence on the genre as a whole.

"Iron Mistress" is one of the earlier works of director Sung Tsun-shou (宋存壽) and a visually striking response to the wave of martial arts films kick-started by the success of "Dragon Inn (龍門客棧)." Directed by Tu Chung-hsun (屠忠訓), the story of "A City Called Dragon" is set in the Southern Song Dynasty, featuring a striking female lead.

HOME is a center for international contemporary art, theatre and film in Manchester, England, that opened in 2015. HOME has a long and ongoing commitment to screening films from East Asia, in particular those in Chinese languages.