A cinematic showcase featuring five rising directorial stars from Taiwan will be hosted by Filmoteca de Andalucía in Córdoba, Spain from Dec. 10 through 12.
Hsiao Ya-chuan (蕭雅全), whose previous releases include 2000 thriller "Mirror Image (命帶追逐)" and 2010 comedy "Taipei Exchanges (第36個故事)," will be introduced to Spanish audiences through his latest feature, "Father to Son (范保德)." Produced by auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), the story begins with an illness-afflicted patriarch who is looking for his father who abandoned him 50 years ago.
Taiwan-based Burmese filmmaker Midi Z (趙德胤), who has helped usher in the third wave of New Taiwanese Cinema, follows a wealthy businessman who embarks on a 14-day hiatus at a Buddhist monastery to combat insomnia. "14 Apples (十四顆蘋果)" documents how a newly shaved head and red robes command respect among rural villagers, but also how certain monks are profiteering off destitute followers.
Director Huang Hsin-yao (黃信堯) is the mastermind behind Taiwan's foreign-language submission to the Academy Awards — "The Great Buddha + (大佛普拉斯)." Produced by auteur Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏), the film noir begins with two amiable working-class stiffs who make a shocking discovery when going through the dash-cam footage of their wealthy playboy boss.
Huang Hui-chen (黃惠偵) rose to fame after releasing an autobiographical documentary compiled over two decades, and Spanish audiences will play witness to her evolving relations with her closeted mother. "Small Talk (日常對話)" captured the top prize at the 2017 Teddy Awards, which honors films with queer themes at Germany's Berlinale.
Chung, who produced "The Great Buddha +," is a decorated director whose repertoire includes the 2008 black comedy "Parking (停車)" and 2013 supernatural thriller "Soul (失魂)." "Godspeed (路順風)," about a heist gone horribly wrong, combines the witty banter and excessive violence of his previous productions.
"Taiwan en la Pantalla" is an annual program organized by the Ministry of Culture's Madrid office to introduce quality Taiwanese films and documentaries to Spanish audiences and strengthen their awareness of Taiwan's people and culture. More information on this year's lineup and screen times can be found at https://taiwanenlapantalla.wordpress.com/portfolio/taiwan-en-la-pantalla-2018/.