On the Train
2023 · 113 min · ★ 8.0 · Documentary
On the Train captures from the birth to the last moment of the railway, 98.2 kilometers long and opened in 1992, crossing southern Taiwan.
Directed by Hsiao Chu-chen
Your Rating
Make it a double feature
3h 14m togetherBoth from Hsiao Chu-chen.
More from Hsiao Chu-chenSee all →
The Red Leaf Legend · 1999The Red Leaf Legend
★ 10.01999
MovieDocumentary
In 1968, Taitung Hongye Little League defeated Japan's Wakayama Little League 7-0, which was a legendary story of that era. The barefooted children of the Bunun tribe used stones as balls and sticks as sticks to win Taiwan the glory of defeating Japan. But what's the truth behind the legend? Where is the legendary young player now? This film goes into the fog of the premature death of more than half of the players, not only the stigma of impostor, but also the lament of underappreciated talent, and the baseball dream of the next generation of children.
Face Taiwan · 2015Face Taiwan
★ 9.02015
MovieDocumentary
30 years after the Taiwanese New Wave first emerged, the veterans such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang remain active in their careers. Ten of Edward Yang's former assistants have become directors. The filmmakers of the younger generation are facing a Taiwanese audience hungry for films that link them with Taiwanese society, whether they are fictional or not.
Grandma's Hairpin · 2000Grandma's Hairpin
★ 7.02000
MovieDocumentary
In 1949, the KMT government retreated from Mainland China to Taiwan, bringing along an army of 600,000 people. The director’s father was one of them. They thought they would be returning to the Mainland before long but ended up waiting for forty years. A hairpin belonging to the director’s grandmother allows her to walk into her father’s world, and to discover the memories of these old veterans.
Our Time, Our Story · 2002Our Time, Our Story
★ 6.02002
MovieDocumentary
Richly illustrated with film clips and interviews, OUR TIME, OUR STORY tells the still-evolving story of the Taiwanese "new wave," from its rise in the early 1980s, as the island was democratizing after decades under martial law, through growing international recognition and domestic debate in the 1990s. Spearheaded in its early years by such filmmakers as Edward Yang, Ko I-cheng, Hou Hsiao-hsien and Wan Jen, the movement revitalized Taiwan cinema through low-budget experiments that emphasized personal stories, political reflection and stylistic invention. Said filmmakers, writers and actors like Wu Nien-jen and Sylvia Chang, even "second wave" directors Tsai Ming-liang and Lin Cheng-sheng provide fond reminiscences and retrospective insights in this compelling account of one of the most distinctive national cinemas of the last quarter-century.
The Dreamer · 2022The Dreamer
2022
MovieDocumentary
Chishang Township is known for its superior rice quality, golden rice waves, and unique cultural ambiance. From its initial struggles to the historic achievement of cultivating the highest-priced rice, the film traces the town's rich history and profound humanistic depth.
Free Beats: The Musical Journey of CHEN Ming Chang · 2023Free Beats: The Musical Journey of CHEN Ming Chang
2023
MovieDocumentary
CHEN Ming-chang, exposed to Western music, from The Beatles to Bob Dylan, often taught himself to play and sing with a guitar when he was young. In the closed social milieu of martial law in Taiwan, he became immersed in music and yearned for freedom, arousing his desire to become a musician. Later, he decided to set out on a journey to learn more about the music that has been passed down through generations. Traveling around Taiwan, he learns traditional opera music from prestigious musicians and integrates it into his artistic creations, composing music and stories that belong to Taiwan…
A Chip Odyssey · 2025A Chip Odyssey
2025
MovieDocumentary
A Chip Odyssey features interviews with over 80 key figures who witnessed and shaped the development of the semiconductor industry — from the first generation of engineers and female factory workers, to policymakers and technology veterans, and today’s young engineers facing new crossroads. This feature-length documentary chronicles how Taiwan built its semiconductor industry from scratch and transformed it into a global technological force, capturing a vital and transformative chapter in the island’s modern history.
More Like This
Faces Places · 2017Faces Places
★ 7.62017
MovieDocumentary
Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City · 1927Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
★ 7.51927
MovieDocumentary
A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.
