Taking Back the Legislature, produced by the Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers group, is a powerful document of one of the most dramatic events of the Hong Kong protests of summer 2019 Read More
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The Soul stands out among recent Taiwanese film as an effective and well-executed commercial thriller. Though the film fails to stick the landing, with its convoluted and messy conclusion undoing some of the movie’s other merits, The Soul proves an entertaining watch—even a rather evocative one Read More
A First Farewell is a remarkable film by first-time director Wang Lina. The film is shot in Wang’s hometown of Shaya, Wang being a Han director that grew up in Xinjiang Read More
My Missing Valentine surprised in 2020 when it swept the Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan’s top film awards. The movie took home not only Best Feature Film, but also Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. The film’s two leads, Liu Kuan Ting and Patty Lee, were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, but did not win Read More
Before Next Spring is a humanistic look at a group of young Chinese students working in Japan. Based on the experiences of first-time director Li Gen during his own time studying abroad in Japan, the film proves a strong debut Read More
Gubuk, directed by So Yo-hen, is a unique look at the experiences of “runaway” migrant workers in Taiwan, mixing fact and fiction, realism and the fantastical. As an experimental documentary that hopes to highlight the experience of migrant workers, the film is highly Brechtian Read More
Twelve Nights, a 2013 documentary film about animal shelters, is probably one of the most influential Taiwanese advocacy films you have not heard about Read More
“Sonata for Smoke” stands out for its mastery of the technical aspects of filmmaking, playing with viewers’ expectations through its proficiency. The film begins with what appears to be a burning object, along with a blunt instrument that is eventually revealed to be a microphone. They are left to wonder what they are seeing for several moments, before the camera pulls back Read More
With its all-woman cast, Taiwanese movie “As We Like It” critiques the exclusion of women in Shakespearean theatre and asks audiences to consider life beyond a gender binary Read More
Wuhan Wuhan, directed by Yung Chang, is a humanistic look at everyday residents and medical workers in Wuhan at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. The documentary begins shortly after the peak of cases in the city, and follows residents of Wuhan until the end of the city’s lockdown in April 2020 Read More
Hand Rolled Cigarette is a well-made film, proving something like the Hong Kong version of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. Although the film starts off slow, its narrative gradually builds strength over time Read More
The documentary "Singing in the Wilderness" is a look at a church chorus thrust into China's national stage after fame from participating in a televised singing competition. What makes this chorus especially interesting is that all its members are Miao—one of China's officially recognized ethnic minorities. Unlike the Muslim Uyghurs and Hui or Buddhist Tibetans, the Miao receive little international focus, which makes this documentary especially notable Read More