Reflections

Dancer SHEU Fang-yi’s career has been told through her modern dance dramas such as Sparrow, Stranger, Wall, and Martha GRAHAM‘s Heretic. Martha GRAHAM once said: “A dancer dies twice — once when they stop dancing, and this first death is the more painful.” At this intersection of her life, SHEU Fang-yi commemorates her glorious past two decades with a funeral, to farewell her past self, and to get ready to move toward her unknown future.

A trio of happy-go-lucky workers wipe sweat and work hard in every corner. As Chang is feeling anxious about his large number of traffic tickets, Qi suggests to get help from a lawyer. These two workers meet with Quan, who is homeless because of rental problem. Qi who loves to dream of being wealthy decides to use his astonishing intuition and luck to take part in the reality TV show "Who is the lucky one" in the hope of winning the big prizes so he can help his friends and son to make their dreams come true. No matter how hard life is for these trio workers, they will always laugh with you.

Chu Tien-Wen, frequent screenwriter for Hou Hsiao-Hsien, makes her directorial debut with this entry in The Inspired Island documentary series. With Hou as producer, cinematographer Yao Hung-I and editor Liao ChingSung, Chu takes a deep dive into the story of her parents, famed authors Chu Hsi-Ning and Liu Mu-Sha. Through family albums, old letters and interviews with fellow writers, Chu crafts a deeply personal portrait of her parents’ romance, literary careers, family roots and the unfinished opus her father left behind.

Jin is in her 60s. Her husband gone, her concern is for daughter Zuer, in New York trying out IVF with her partner Michelle. When Jin receives news that Zuer and Michelle have died in an accident, she heads for NY. There, she has another shock: she has inherited Zuer’s embryo and it’s for her to decide its fate. Meanwhile, going to NY also forces Jin to face Emma, the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was 17.

In 1987, as martial law ends in Taiwan, Jia-han and Birdy fall in love amid family pressure, homophobia and social stigma.

Michael and his right-hand man Scorpion, who find themselves embroiled in their father Ko's turf war against rival gangs in Taipei, setting off a conflict between old and new generations of gangsters. The film is the latest installment in the Gatao franchise, following the narrative of a young successor trying to expand his power while navigating the volatile underworld.

Leading Taiwan cinema names Hou Hsiao-hsien (“The Assassin,” “The Puppetmaster”) and Lee Kang-sheng (“Days,” “Goodbye, Dragon Inn”) are attached to “Twisted Strings”, a TV anthology series backed by HBO Asia and streamer Catchplay.The seven-part series is written and directed by Golden Horse-nominated director, Huang Xi (“Missing Johnny”). Hou is attached as the series executive producer. Lee, who has appeared exclusively in films over the past 30 years, notably those of famed Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang, stars.

Luo Hongwu returns to Kaili, the hometown from which he fled many years ago. He begins the search for the woman he loved and whom he has never been able to forget.

In a remote village, a con man disguised as a Taoist priest introduces a memory-erasing device to residents — but a dangerous plot looms.

Where is home? For a group of Chinese students studying and working in Tokyo, it might be the Nankokute restaurant whose manager has been in Japan for years without ever managing to obtain a residence permit. The cook left his family in China and hasn't yet managed to have them brought over to join him and one waiter's father is sick while the other's is a violent alcoholic. An engaging fresco of everyday life with touching moments and an authentic, natural atmosphere.

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

Michael and his right-hand man Scorpion, who find themselves embroiled in their father Ko's turf war against rival gangs in Taipei, setting off a conflict between old and new generations of gangsters. The film is the latest installment in the Gatao franchise, following the narrative of a young successor trying to expand his power while navigating the volatile underworld.

Ren has finally succeeded his boss as the head of the North Fort Gang. For so long, his ambitions had been held back; now, he can realize them. But the ruthless Jian returns with his own gang. Though Ren and Jian were once like brothers, Ren's position is challenged, causing tensions with Qing, his loyal captain. Now that former friends are enemies, what is the price of loyalty? What will be left of friendship when the smoke of battle clears?

10+10 is a project initiated by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival to demonstrate the solidarity between Taiwanese film-makers. 20 directors are invited to make a 5-minute short film each on the theme of the “Uniqueness of Taiwan,” but allowed total freedom in all other aspects.

Hsu Zi Qi is a young woman who lives alone in the city. Lee is the autistic son of Zi Qi's landlady, who tries to free himself from his protective mother. Feng is a shy young builder, who struggles with the constant breakdowns of his car.

“Siaulian”, who is released from prison and trying to turn his life back to track, runs into his childhood friend Tang, now a police officer, in a gang fight. Siaulian is wanted by the gangs since he has been made the one responsible for the fight. Siaulian is forced to form his own gang in order to protect his family and seek revenge. Eventually, he is wanted by both the gangsters and the police. As for Tang, he is struggling to protect his dearest friend as he is actually the reason why Siaulian was sentenced to prison.