Asian Pop-Up Cinema: Season 14 will present 7 Taiwanese films from Apr. 4 to 10 in Chicago, Illinois. Selected Taiwanese films will have their U.S. premiers from Apr. 9 to 10, including Chienn Hsiang's (錢翔) intense drama "Increasing Echo (修行)," Hsu Fu-Hsiang's (許富翔) action-comedy "Treat or Trick (詭扯)" and Chen Ta-pu's (陳大璞) "Grit (鱷魚)."
The full APUC lineup is representative of Taiwanese creators’ success in all genres of filmmaking, including mystery, romance, comedy, drama, realism, and documentary. The online and in-person festival also features other Taiwanese films such as "You Have to Kill Me (我是自願讓他殺了我)," "Jang-Gae: The Foreigner (醬狗)," "No Man is an Island (没有人該成為孤島)," and “Waiting for My Cup of Tea (一杯熱奶茶的等待)."
"Waiting for My Cup of Tea" has been selected as the closing film for the festival. Written and directed by Phoebe Jan (詹馥華), this romantic best-seller tells a story of love and friendship between strangers.
"Increasing Echo," portrays the run-of-the-mill life of a middle-aged woman who is in a struggling relationship with her husband. "Grit" is a romantic drama about a young gangster who re-enters society by working at a city councilor’s office after being released from prison. "Treat or Trick" is a comedy horror film based on a Korean film titled "To Catch a Virgin Ghost (我們全村都不是人)," which came out in 2004.
Asian Pop-Up Cinema, a semi-annual Asian Film Festival, is the brainchild of Sophia Wong Boccio, with the multi-pronged mission of cultivating an interest in and understanding of Asian cultures via a diverse offering of Asian films; connecting the Asian film industry with local Chicago film professionals, educators and students. This season, it presents 28 films with a diverse lineup from South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Taiwan. For more information, please visit: https://www.asianpopupcinema.org/
(Photo courtesy of Asian Pop-Up Cinema)