Jay Chou

Jay Chou 周杰倫
Director of Secret

Jay Chou (born January 18, 1979) is a Taiwanese musician, singer, producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award three times. Trained in classical music, Chou combines Chinese and Western music styles to produce songs that fuse R&B, rock and pop genres. His lyrics covers issues such as domestic violence, war and urbanization.

A winner of more than 20 awards yearly and with album sales of 25 million worldwide, his music has earned him recognition throughout Asia and in overseas Chinese and Taiwanese communities. In 2007, he was named one of the 50 most influential people in China by the British think tank Chatham House. He starred in 《Initial D》 (2005) and 《Curse of the Golden Flower》 (2006). His career now extends into directing and running his own record company JVR Music.

Filmography / Awards

Actor:
2009 《Kung Fu Dunk 2》- Lead Actor
2008 《Ciqing shidai》 (in production)
《Kung Fu Dunk》- Lead Actor
2007 《Secret》- Lead Actor
2006 《Curse of the Golden Flower》- Supporting Actor
2005 《Initial D - Drift Racer》- Lead Actor
Golden Horse Award - Best New Performer
Hong Kong Film Award - Best New Performer
2003 《Hidden Track》- Cameo

Soundtrack:
2006 《Curse of the Golden Flower》- performer
Hong Kong Film Award - Best Original Film Song
2005 《Initial D - Drift Racer》- performer and producer

Director:
2007 《Secret》
2008 San Francisco International Film Festival

Writer:
2007 《Secret》

Lee Hsiang-Hsiu

Lee Hsiang-Hsiu 李香秀
Director of The Lost Kingdom

Born in 1964 in Taipei, Taiwan, Lee is an independent filmmaker and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Shih Hsin University. Her first documentary work The Lost Kingdom won the NETPAC Prize for Special Mention in the 2000 Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival. Chronicle of the Sea, Nan-Fang-Ao is her second feature-length documentary. It won the Taipei Golden Horse Award for the Best Documentary in 2004.

Filmography / Awards

2004 《Chronicle of the Sea, Nan-Fang-Ao》 35mm / Color / 98 mins
2004 Taipei Golden Horse Award for the Best Documentary
2005 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival

1999 《The Lost Kingdom》 16mm / Color / 98 mins
1999 Hawaii International Film Festival
2000 Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival – The NETPAC Prize for Special Mention
2001 Women’s Film Festival in Seoul

The Lost Kingdom

The Lost Kingdom 消失的王國－拱樂社
Release: 2002
Genre: Documentary
Director: Lee Hsiang-Hsiu
Total Running Time: 98 min

The Lost Kingdom” is the story of the rise to fame and gradual disappearance of the “Kung Le Society,” a well-known Taiwanese opera troupe in the forty’s. The film documents the story of Chen Cheng-san, the entertainment mogul behind Kung Le Society’s success. Chen added new features to the opera that attracted crowds into the theatres. He delved into motion pictures and created the first Taiwanese language films. He used child actors when adults filled children’s roles. He founded a school for Taiwanese opera. He even tried television and started a song-and-dance act. With the Kuomintang’s enforcement of Mandarin, and with the advent of television, Chen’s kingdom went into decline and was eventually dissolved.

1999 16MM COLOR 98 MIN The 1999 Hawaii International Film Festival－Nominated for the Best Documentary The 2000 Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival－The NETPAC Prize for Special Me
2001 Women’s Film Festival in Seoul

Cheng Wen-Tang

Cheng Wen-Tang 鄭文堂
Director of Summer's Tail

Born in 1958, Cheng Wen-Tang has extensive experience in all aspects of film-making. As an independent producer, Cheng builds up his reputation in producing documentary, short films, and subsequently, expanding into feature films. All this has earned him the recognition of the local movie industry. In addition to this various talents, Cheng is also an active scriptwriter, TV series director, as well as a stage actor. His newest production in 2007 is 《Summer's Tail》.

Filmography / Awards

2007 《Summer's Tail》35mm / 99min
Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 12th Pusan International Film Festival

2005 《Blue Cha-Cha》35mm / 108min
Represent Taiwan to compete in Oscar Academy Award Foreign Language Film category
France Deauville Asia Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival

2004《The Passage》 35mm / 105min
Tokyo International Film Festival
Korea Kwangju Film Festival
Asia Pacific Film Festival
Belgium Brussels Film Festival

2003 《Badu's Homework》16mm / 35min
Taipei Film Festival - Best Film

2002 《Somewhere over the Dreamland》35mm / 93min
Venice Film Festival - The International Critics' Week Award
Golden Horse Film Festival - Best Taiwanese Film

2000 《Vanity Fair of Tan-Sui》35mm / 90min
Taipei Film Festival

1999 《Postcard》16mm / 52min
Taipei Film Festival - Special Award
Singapore Film Festival
Melbourne Film Festival

1996 Producer《The Blue Moon》

Award of the Best Screenplay by the Government Information Office
Scriptwriter《The Poet and A-De》

Korean New Current Film Competition

Ho, Chao-ti

Ho Chao-ti 賀照緹
Director of The Gangster's God

Ho Chao-ti is a documentary film producer and director. For many years, her films have centered on marginal, non-mainstream subjects, including traditional ethnic music and hybrid contemporary culture. Her films have been shortlisted at the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, the Taiwan International Ethnographic Film Festival, Women Make Waves Film Festival, South Taiwan Film & Video Festival, the Yilan Green International Film Festival, the Ho-Hai-Yan Music Film Festival and the Shanghai Mecooon Film Festival. She has received the Jury Special Award in Taipei Film Festival and the Golden Harvest Award of Excellence.

Filmography / Awards

2008 Producer and director, 《El Salvador Journal》 documentary / Digi
Beta / 55 min / Chinese, English and Spanish/ Filmed on behalf of
Public Television Service

2006 《Mouth of a Volcano》 documentary, part of the television series
《Baseball in Taiwan – A Tale of a Hundred Years》 Digi Beta / 49
min / Chinese / Filmed on behalf of Public Television Service

2005 《Cockroach Confidential》 documentary / Digi Beta / 47 min / English /
Filmed on behalf of National Geographic Channel International and
broadcast in 27 languages in 163 countries throughout the world,
with a total of 205 million viewers

Producer and director, 《How Many Grams? 》 documentary / Digi
Beta / 30 min / Chinese / Filmed on behalf of the Legal Aid
Foundation, Taiwan

2003 Producer and director, 《Squeezebox on the Road》 documentary /
DV / 55 min / Chinese, English, Czech, Polish, Portuguese and
Spanish/Filmed on behalf of Public Television Service

2001 《County Road 184》 documentary / Betacam / 55 min / Mandarin,
Hakka and English / Filmed on behalf of Public Television Service

Lin, Yu-Hsien

Lin Yu-Hsien 林育賢
Director of Elephant Boy and Robogirl

Wit and humor dominate Lin Yu-Hsien's creations as he looks upon the issues that society faces. With his Jump Boys Films production, his works always reflect the humanity in situations. His shorts "Pray for Graffiti" and "His-Men Street" were in the running at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival International Digital Shorts Competition in 2002 and 2003, respectively. His first documentary《 Jump! Boys》 was named Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Film Festival and broke box office records for the genre, being shown in Taiwan's theatres for three months. In 2006,《 Jump! Boys》 was aired in Japan, where it was well received. That same year, Lin was invited by Business Weekly to work on the documentary 《Elephant Boy and Robogirl》as part of the《One Taiwan, Two Worlds》series.《Exit No. 6》is the director's first narrative film.

Filmography / Awards

2008 《The man who plants trees》 55 min / Documentary

2007 《Exit No. 6》Feature Film

2006 《Elephant Boy and Robogirl》 48 min / Documentary

2005 《Jump! Boys》 84 min / Documentary
Golden Horse Film Festival - Best Documentary
Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Awards
CJ Asian Independent Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Fukuoka International Film Festival
Taipei Film Festival - Special Jury Award & Audience Choice Award
Government Information Office Golden Harvest Award for
Excellence in Film
South Taiwan Film & Video Festival - Best Documentary

2004 《E. T. Brother》 Screenplay
Government Information Office Excellent Film Screenplay Award
JVC Tokyo Video Festival
《Pray for Graffiti》 11 min / Documentary
San Diego Film Festival

2003 《His-men Street》 29 min / Documentary
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
Asia Television Documentary Film Festival
View Point Festival, Public Television Service Foundation
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival

Elephant Boy and Robogirl

Elephant Boy and Robogirl 大象男孩與機器女孩
Release: 2006
Genre: Documentary
Director: Lin Yu-Hsien
Total Running Time: 48 min

EThis film celebrates Xiang Xiang and Shan Shan. Nicknamed Elephant Boy for his love of elephants, Xiang Xiang is an 8-year-old, multi-handicapped boy. Although under tremendous pain, he expresses himself with enthusiasm and passion. Also 8, Robogirl suffering from Cerebral Palsy. It takes her 90 seconds to take three steps. Although her body is stiff like a machine and moving causes great pain, she doesn’t give up. She keeps going, crying while yelling out, “I will make it! I will make it!”

Trailer

Spider Lilies

Spiderlilies 刺青
Release: 2007
Genra: Fiction
Director: Zero Chou
Total Running Time : 97 min
Starring: Isabella Leong, Rainie Yang, Shen Jian-Hung, Kris Shie, Shih Yuen-Chieh

Takeko is a tattoo artist taking care of her traumatized brother after he witnesses the death of their father in an earthquake. Unable to recognize anyone, the image of a spider-lily tattoo on his father's arm is the last cohesive memory he has. Takeko puts the same tattoo of the poisonous flowers on her arm in the hopes of helping her brother get his memory back. Years later, a webcam sex worker, Jade, visits Takeko's tattoo parlor, looking for a sexy image to excite her clientele. She recognizes Takeko's tattoo as that of the woman she had a crush on as a child. While trying to rekindle the old flame, a series of tragic events unfolds.

Trailer


2007 Berlin International Film Festival – Teddy Award

Secret

Secret 不能說的．祕密
Release: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Director: Jay Chou
Total Running Time: 102 min
Starring: Jay Chou, Guey Lun-Mei, Anthony Wong

On his first day at Tamkang Secondary School, Lun is lured by a mysterious piano solo. He follows the song and finds an ethereal girl playing piano in the old music room. The girl is Yu, one of Lun’s classmates. The always tardy Yu ends up sitting next to Lun in the back row.

“What’s the melody you played the first day we met?” asked Lun. “That’s my secret.” Yu whispered in his ear.
This is Jay Chou's directorial debut.


Trailer


2008 San Francisco International Film Festival

Summer's Tail

Summer's Tail 夏天的尾巴
Release: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Director: Chen Wen-Tang
Total Running Time: 99 min
Starring: Bryant Chang, Enno Cheng, Dean Fujioka, Hannah Lin, Lu Yi-Ching

Yvette is a popular teen songwriter living in a small town in southern Taiwan. One day, while performing for her classmates, Yvette falls unconscious and is sent to the nurse’s office. There Yvette and best friend Wendy meets Jimmy. While Wendy immediately falls for Jimmy, he only has eyes for beautiful school teacher Miss Xiu. Jimmy and Miss Xiu are forced to end their relationship lest she risk losing her job. While Wendy’s gaze drifts towards soccer-loving Japaneses exchange student Akira, Yvette recovers from her heart condition and opens her arms to embrace Jimmy’s emotions.

Trailer 1


Trailer 2


Trailer 3


2007 Hong Kong Asian Film Festival
2007 Pusan International Film Festival

The Wall-Passer

The Wall-Passer 穿牆人
Release: 2007
Genre: Fiction, Sci-fi
Director: Hung Hung
Total‭ ‬Running‭ ‬Time‭: ‬108‭ ‬min
Starring: Chang Yung-Cheng, Lee Chia-Ying, Lu Chia-Hsin

17-year-old Tye and his parents evacuate their home after an earthquake on planet G40 and move to Reality City. Tye is a teenage piano prodigy who takes to constantly tapping out rhythms on the computer keyboard. During a school field trip to a nuclear power plant, Tye discovers a radioactive rock whose powers enables him to pass through walls. He also meets a deaf alien shopgirl, NoNo, who captured his heart before vanishes without a trace. With the aid of his glowing stone, Tye searches the world for his missing love and meets Ya-hung who is also searching for a missing loved one.

Trailer


2007 Pusan International Film Festival

The Ganster's God

The Gangster's God 炸神明
Release: 2006
Genre: Documentary
Director: Ho Chao-ti
Total Running Time: 49 min
Original music by Chen Guan-yu and the Hohak Band

At every Lantern Festival in Taidong, a group of men strips bare above the waist, and wearing nothing but red shorts, stands on a sacred palanquin, allowing people to pound their bodies with bottle rockets, singeing their skin. They are believed to be human incarnations of the god Handan. The “Scorching of Handan” has in recent years become a major event in eastern Taiwan. Those who take part in the ritual have always been shrouded in mystery, and rumored to be members of the gangster underworld. The documentary 《The Gangster’s God》 enters the heart of these men’s universe, recording their dramatic lives.

For More Sun

For More Sun 夢想無限
Release: 2006
Genre: Documentary
Director: Lee Jong-Wang
Total Running Time: 96 min

For More Sun is a documentary film that portrays the creativity and determination in Taiwanese young engineers. Professor Cheng and his students believed that any knowledge you learn in school should be applied to reality. Their dream was to build the fastest running hand-made vehicle. In 2005 they created FORMOSUN III, a world-class solar car for the World Solar Challenge in Australia, a 3,000 kilometers journey going from Darwin to Adelaide. Efficiency, coordination and extreme sunlight are the winning elements. As the underdog, they more than make up for it in their determination to win.

Trailer


For More Sun Official Website [in Mandarin]
For More Sun movie blog [in Mandarin]

2007 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, Korea
2006 Taipei Film Festival
2006 Green International Film Festival, Taiwan

Most Distant Course

The Most Distant Course 最遙遠的距離
Release: 2007
Genre: Fiction
Director: Lin Jing-Jie
Total Running Time: 110 min
Starring: Guey Lun-Mei, Mo Tze-Yi, Jia Siao-Guo

Seemingly lost in life, sound recordist Xiao Tang embarks on a road trip around Taiwan to capture the "Sounds of Formosa." In need of some therapy himself, intense and unpredictable psychiatrist Cai gets up one day and just keeps driving. The two meet in a bizarre encounter and become unlikely travel companions on their island circuit. Xiao Tang sends his recordings to ex-girlfriend, but the tapes end up in the hands of the apartment's new tenant, Ruo-Yun, a young woman who is nursing a troubled relationship of her own. Lured by the peaceful recordings of wind, waves, and aboriginal songs, Yun takes to the road to follow the source of the sounds.

Trailer


2007 Venice Film Festival – International Critic's Week Award

Tour Schedule

The film selection is almost done and the tour schedule is out! We are looking at a wonderful film tour that will bring some recent Taiwanese film works and filmmakers to the following campus during mid to end of October. We are looking forward to seeing you at the screening venues at these locations.

University of San Francisco
10/16 - 10/17

Stanford University
10/17 - 10/18

University of Washington
10/19 - 10/22

University of Oregon in Eugene
10/23 - 10/25

University of Nevada Las Vegas
10/24 - 10/26