David on Formosa

After a long wait Formosa Betrayed (被出賣的台灣) has come to Taiwan. I saw the film at the Taichung premiere on Monday night. The premiere was well attended and producer Will Tiao was there to to introduce the film. Tiao said it was the first ever Hollywood film about Taiwan’s White Terror period. He also said [...]

The 12th Taipei Film Festival (台北電影節) opens on Friday 25 June and runs until 15 July. The venues for the screenings are Zhongshan Hall (中山堂) and the Shinkong Cineplex (新光影城) in the Ximending area and Governor Cinemas (總督影城) in Chang’an East Road. This year’s city in focus is Rio de Janeiro. There is also a section for [...]

Pinoy Sunday (台北星期天) directed by Ho Wi-ding (何蔚庭) tells the story of Manuel (Epy Quizon) and Dado (Bayani Agbayani), two Filipinos who work in a bicycle factory on the outskirts of Taipei. The film begins by giving some background to their lives in the city. We see their basic accommodation in the factory where they yearn for [...]

Taipei Exchanges (第36個故事) directed by Hsiao Ya-chuan (蕭雅全) is a movie set in Taipei that explores the theme of the value of things. In a city where capitalism and money dominates daily life the movie imagines an alternative of barter, storytelling and dreaming. The movie is set in a cafe that Doris (played by Guai Lun-mei 桂綸鎂) opens [...]

The 2010 Urban Nomad Film Festival (城市遊牧影展) began on Friday night with the Taiwan premiere of The Cove at the Armed Forces Cultural Centre in Taipei. The Cove won the 2010 Academy Award for best documentary and the premiere was ahead of the documentary’s general release in Taiwan on 7 May.

Au Revoir Taipei (一頁台北) is a fun, romantic comedy directed by Arvin Chen (陳駿霖). The story revolves around Kai and Susie. Kai spends long nights in a bookshop studying French in the hope of going to Paris to be with his girlfriend. Susie works in the bookshop and takes an interest in Hong. An ensemble [...]

I reviewed Tears (眼淚) last year after I saw it at the Golden Horse Film Festival. The movie is officially released in Taiwan today. The movie tells the story of Guo, an old policeman who employs some unethical policing methods and eventually has to face up to his past. The movie is being widely discussed [...]