The Inspired Island: My City

The Inspired Island: Home In Two Cities

The film explores Lin Hai-yin’s unique perspective of having “two homelands,” narrated by her daughter Julie Chang. It highlights her life, work as an editor, and her role in overcoming censorship. Lin Hai-yin’s novels, known for their inclusiveness, remain a shared memory for cross-strait readers. She was a friend to writers and a courageous mother, nurturing Taiwanese literature post-war. As editor of the United Daily News, she supported writers like Lin Hwai-min and founded the Belles-Lettres Publishing House. Her living room was a literary hub, and she is fondly remembered as “Ms. Lin Hai-yin.” Her novel Memories of Peking: South Side Stories was published in 1960.

The Inspired Island: The Man behind the Book

Wang Wen-xin, a revered novelist, is known for his deep appreciation of words and slow, deliberate writing style. He co-founded the literary magazine Modern Literature with classmates from National Taiwan University. His notable work, “Family Catastrophe,” published in 1973, was praised for its innovative language and realistic portrayal of interpersonal relationships. Another significant work, “Backed against the Sea,” took 25 years to complete and is celebrated for its modernist beauty. Wang is currently working on a new book, though its release date is unconfirmed.

The Inspired Island: Towards the Completion of a Poem

The Inspired Island: The Untrammeled Traveler

The Inspired Island: Port of Mists

The Inspired Island: The Coming of Tulku

The Ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou’s dream of becoming a butterfly blurs reality and fantasy, reflecting a poet’s desire for freedom and eternity. The coming of Tulku draws from Buddhist classics, using Chou Meng-tieh’s life as a metaphor. His experiences at WuChang Street and his bookstand, started in 1959, led to enlightenment and loyalty to Buddha and loved ones. Influenced by Buddhism, his poems blend Zen with grace, affection, and prudence, capturing life’s essence with strength and delicacy. He closed his bookstand in 1980 due to illness.

The Inspired Island: River Without Banks

River Without Banks (2014) takes poetry and war as its main theme. As homage to Death of a Stone Cell, the film is structured into ten segments; each led by the first lines of the first ten stanza of the poem. Correspondences between the poet and his friends are incorporated throughout, taking the audience back and forth between Lofu's youth and middle age, only to eventually depict a full picture of the protagonist. The camera follows Lofu on his trips back to the bomb shelter and tunnel in Kinmen and his hometown Hengyang in Hunan Province of China, while also capturing his daily life in his adopted country of Canada. Acclaimed as the "Wizard of Poetry", Lofu shares through the film of the most insightful reflections.

The Inspired Island: Boundary

The Inspired Island: A Life That Sings

How have one poet and his single book of poetry from the last century continued to inspire people today? A Life That Sings follows the legendary poet Ya Hsien from Vancouver to Nanyan, to the mobile library from his childhood and to the basement of his current home. Through his collection of books and love letters, the film unearths the treasure trove abound with stories of Ya Hsien's life.

The Inspired Island: Multiflorate Splendour

The writer Bai Xianyong from the youthful vigor of founding "Modern Literature" at the age of 22, to the sincerity of the people who wrote "Father and the Republic of China" and "Pain Relief and Healing" in recent years. The film borrows the form of the stream of consciousness (dream of a garden tour)-the taste of Guilin rice noodles separated more than 40 years ago, the 10-year re-visit of Suzhou gardens, the dark kingdom on the stage, and the journey of lectures and lectures. With special encounters and literary history, one person has led the trend of several generations. He is uniquely strong and courageous, exquisite and affectionate. He echoes the symphony in the film and leads the audience to gradually touch the hot novelist's mind.

The Inspired Island: 1918

A documentary about writer and novelist Liu Yichang.

The Inspired Island: A Lifetime In Chinese Literature

The Inspired Island: Unfulfilled Dreams

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.

The Inspired Island: A Lean Soul

A Lean Soul examines the life and works of Taiwanese novelist Qi Deng Sheng. The filmmakers were able to have in-depth interviews with not only the writer's closest friends and relatives but also the notoriously camera-shy protagonist himself. The film vividly dramatizes many passages from his intensely autobiographical works of fiction. The result is an intimate and candid portrait of one of the most important and controversial Taiwanese writers.

The Inspired Island: I Remember

A series of documentaries that aim to introduce important Chinese writers to the next generation and to preserve and promote the works of literary masters. The episode "I Remember" is directed by novelist Lin Junying, who has had a deep friendship with the Zhu family for over 40 years. The film focuses the second generation of daughters Zhu Tianwen, Zhu Tianxin, Zhu Tianyi and son-in-law Tang Nuo, who together co-founded the "Sansan Bookstore".

The Inspired Island: Still Young

A documentary about a Taiwanese poet Wu Sheng.

The Inspired Island: The New Formosa Mambo

Somebody Up There Likes Me

A young rebel falls for the sister of a local kickboxing champion. In order to stay out of jail, he is advised by his parole officer to begin training in the art of kickboxing. His romance with the girl blossoms but comes to a crashing halt when he is forced to face her brother in the ring. When the brother is accidentally killed, the romance ends and the young kickboxer participates in illegal street fights. When the kickboxer has a shot at the Golden Belt against the Japanese champ, he soon learns that this may be the final fight of his life. Written by Ninja01

Runaway Blues

Before he was crowned one of the "Four Heavenly Kings", Andy Lau starred in the 1989 gangster film Runaway Blues. He plays Lam, a Taiwan gangster who flees to Hong Kong after killing a rival gangster. Hiding at his uncle gang boss Lip's place, he gets embroiled in more gang conflicts and is forced to be an informant for the police. Lam runs away to Guangzhou and Macau with Lip's mistress, causing an enraged Lip to be hot on his trail.

Righting Wrongs

Jason Chan, a Hong Kong lawyer, is angry at the way the law protects criminals and decides to take the law into his own hands, dishing out vigilante justice when a key witness and his entire family are murdered. But hotshot cop Cindy Si is soon on Chan's case, and the situation unravels into a fight that only a few will survive.

Dragons Forever

A hot-shot lawyer is hired by a Hong Kong chemical plant to dispose of opposition to their polluting ways. But when he falls for a beautiful woman out to stop the plant, he is torn in a conflict of interest and asks his trusty friends Samo and Biao to help out at least until they discover the true purpose of the plant.

Yes, Madam!

Two unlucky thieves break into a just murdered man's hotel room and steal his passport, with a hidden microfilm, wanted by a triad boss. Two ass-kicking women cops—one Chinese, one British—are on the case.

Heart of Dragon

A policeman forsakes his dream of world travel to care for a mentally impaired brother, who is later kidnapped by gangsters.

Three... Extremes

Features an anthology centred on the experiences of a witch doctor, a film-maker and a disgruntled extra determined to take revenge on him, and a novelist as well as her twin sister.

Fight Back to School 2

Star Chow, an officer in the elite police unit, resigns when he is made a scapegoat for a botched investigation. He goes undercover at a school to complete the case and realizes a bumbling detective is also undercover as a student.

My Name Is Fame

Fai, a talented actor who has won the Best New Artist of the Hong Kong Film Awards and always plays leading roles in television, is an arrogant guy who does not cherish the opportunities given to him. As he keeps on criticizing his co-workers, his career and popularity gradually deteriorates. He is not offered leading roles anymore and has to take the parts of villains and rapists. Finally, he has even lost his job at the TV station. Fai becomes extremely depressed, but a twist of fate makes him become an agent for extras. As Fai gives pointers to a young girl named Fei, who truly loves acting, he regains his own enthusiasm towards acting and life.

Dumplings

Aunt Mei's famous homemade dumplings provide amazing age-defying qualities popular with middle-aged women. But her latest customer, a fading actress, is determined to find out what the secret ingredient is.

The Law Enforcer

A police officer is suspended for assaulting gang members who threatened a young woman and her boyfriend. Meanwhile, his fellow officers need help in catching a group of murderous thugs about to make a big time bust.

My Lucky Stars

Two Hong Kong cops are sent to Tokyo to catch an ex-cop who stole a large amount of money in diamonds. After one is captured by the Ninja-gang protecting the rogue cop, the other one gets his old Orphanage gang, dubbed the "Five Lucky Stars," to help him. They don't like this much, but they do it.

Curry & Pepper

Two best friends and cop partners become the subject of a beautiful news reporter's documentary. The two soon find themselves competing for screen time as well as the love of the reporter while after a murderous arms dealer.

Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars

The third installment in the Lucky Stars series, following Winners and Sinners and My Lucky Stars. The team are released from prison to play detective in order to stop a ruthless gang from ruining their reputations, taking their lives, and that of a key witness in an upcoming trial. They must battle their way through and with the help of Muscles, take down the bad guys.

The Top Bet

Sing and Mei are two siblings with special powers which the former uses to gamble. When both are unavailable, a gangster hires Fanny, a con artist, to compete in a gambling competition.

3 Days of a Blind Girl

Mrs. Ng, who is left temporarily blind after an eye operation. Second day, her husband takes off to Macau for a business trip. Soon afterwards, Sam, a former patient of Dr. Ng, shows up to Mrs. Ng with sinister motives.