Since its inception in 2016, the annual Taiwanese film screening event, rolled out by the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo, has been well-received. From April 16 to October 22 this year, 7 Taiwanese films will be streamed online and a special lecture by an expert in Taiwanese films, Eguchi Yoko (江口洋子), will be held after the screening.
The line-up includes "City of Lost Things(廢棄之城)" by Yee Chih-yen (易智言), "Listen Before You Sing (聽見歌再唱)" by Chih-Lin Yang (楊智麟), "Plurality (複身犯)" by Aozaru Shiao (蕭力修), "Leave Me Alone (不想一個人)" by Fan Yang-chung (范揚仲), "A Trip with Your Wife (跟你老婆去旅行)" by Gavin Lin (林孝謙), "Goddamned Asura (該死的阿修羅)" by Lou Yi-an (樓一安), as well as three short films "My Sister (姊姊)" by Pan Ke-yin (潘客印), "Sister's Busy Hands (手事業)" by Iris Lee (李宜珊), and "Can You Hear Me? (講話沒有在聽)" by Li Nien Hsiu (李念修).
Taiwanese animated film "City of Lost Things" will be screened on the first day of the event. It gained recognition at the 2020 Golden Horse Awards, where it received the prize for Best Animation Feature. The film tells the story of a struggling 16-year-old teenager, Leaf, who ran away from home and mysteriously arrive at a peculiar place. In the film, he befriended a plastic bag named Baggy, and together they embarked on a fantasy soul-searching adventure.
Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo stated that the Taiwanese film screening is an important event and channel to introduce Taiwanese new films directly to Japanese people. The event not only attracted many Japanese moviegoers, but also prompted Japanese film agencies to import and distribute Taiwanese films.