Sep 8, 2011
SFFILM
The San Francisco Film Society in association with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco presents Taiwan Film Days, October 14-16 at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema, 1746 Post Street. This exciting showcase highlights the best of contemporary Taiwanese cinema and provides Bay Area audiences with unique opportunities to view bold new Taiwanese films and engage with visionary filmmakers.
“Hats off to the Taiwanese Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco. TECO provides us with extremely valuable support, and we feel honored to collaborate with them once again,” said Film Society Programmer Sean Uyehara. “True to form TECO has helped us to locate the most urgent Taiwanese films of the past year, and I am excited to present this program to Bay Area audiences.”
The San Francisco Film Society has long been a proponent of Taiwanese cinema and has played a pioneering role in introducing it to Bay Area audiences through the San Francisco International Film Festival, which has shown over 40 Taiwanese films over the years. The works of the leading figures-Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang and Edward Yang-have been featured, and prominent actor Lee Kang-sheng was a Festival guest in 1998. In January 1999 the Film Society partnered with the Asian Art Museum to present the unique retrospective An Unfolding Horizon: the Films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Now in its third year, Taiwan Film Days has become an essential part of the Film Society’s Fall Season and a cinematic highlight for the local Chinese-speaking community and bold cinephiles of all stripes.
From opener Formosa Mambo, a multistrand abduction thriller, to Honey Pupu, a social networking melodrama that explores the lives of twentysomething Taipei hipsters, to the environmental documentary Taivalu, which examines coastal communities amid climate change, Taiwan Film Days 2011 showcases the breadth of style and subject of this vibrant filmmaking industry, while providing a snapshot of contemporary Taiwanese society and culture.
For complete program information, visit: sffs.org/Screenings-and-Events
Friday, October 14 Opening Night
7:00 pm Formosa Mambo International Premiere
Director Wang Chi-tsai in person
Wang Chi-tsai (Pao tao man po, 2011)
When a band of kidnappers attempts to collect a ransom for their young hostage, the boy’s family dismisses it as a prank. Stuck with a youngster to care for and on the lam, the stage is set for a dark comedy of errors. We get this and much more with delicious plot twists and a growing pile-up of fraud and double crosses. Written by Wang Chi-tsai, Cai Deng-ciao. Photographed by Jhang Guo-fu. With Cyu Jhong-heng, Yao Cai-ying, Huang Jie-fei, Jhen Yi-wen. 97 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Swallow Wings Films.
9:00 pm Opening Night reception with complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres at Superfrog Gallery at New People.
9:45 pm Formosa Mambo
Saturday, October 15
1:30 pm Taivalu North American Premiere
Huang Hsin-yao (Chen mo chih tao, 2011)
The island nation of Tuvalu is the first country expected to be eradicated by rising sea levels associated with climate change. This documentary, winner of both the Grand Prize and Best Documentary Prize at the 2011 Taipei International Film Festival, examines the current situation in Tuvalu and draws parallels to flooding in the Taiwanese town of Tainan, pointing to systematic ecological neglect as the common denominator between Tuvalu’s problems and those of Taiwan. Photographed by Huang Hsin-yao. 80 min. In Taiwanese with subtitles. Distributed by Wonderful Time.
4:00 pm Pinoy Sunday
Ho Wi-ding (Tai pei hsing chi tien, 2009)
In this charming comedy, two immigrants from the Philippines who have come to Taipei lured by the promise of a better life are laboring under the strict regulations of the factory where they work. On their one day a week of freedom they come across a discarded red sofa. Determined to bring it back to their foreign workers dorm before curfew but with no means of transportation, the two begin a humorously epic journey across town. Written by Ajay Balakrishnan, Ho Wi-ding. Photographed by Jake Pollock. With Bayani Agbayani, Epy Quizon, Alessandra de Rossi, Meryll Soriano. 85 min. In Tagalog and Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Changhe Films.
6:00 pm You Are the Apple of My Eye North American Premiere
Giddens (Na hsieh nien wo men yi chi chui te nu hai, 2011)
Ko-teng has a crush on the beautiful class overachiever, Shen Chia-yi, as do most of his close-knit group of roguish friends. When a friendship serendipitously blossoms between the two, romance may seem inevitable, but what develops is infinitely sweeter. This hit of the Taipei International Film Festival (the directing debut of megastar novelist Giddens) renews one’s belief in the possibility of unconditional love and true friendship. Written by Giddens. Photographed by Chou Yi-hsien. With Ko Chen-tung, Michelle Chen, Ao Chun, Steven Hao. 110 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Good Films Workshop.
9:00 pm Honey Pupu U.S. Premiere
Chen Hung-i (Hsiao shih ta kan, 2011)
A character named Dog, the key to a young woman’s love life, disappears, and she aims to track him down through his social media network. In Chen Hung-i’s exploration of networked communications and virtual friendships the ensemble cast begins combining their online lives with their real ones, while coming to grips with what it means to be living in an age that seems to be constantly accelerating into the future. Written by Chen Hung-i, Monica & Shaballe, Lin Fu-jing. Photographed by Fisher Yu Jing-ping. With Chiu Sheng-yi, Lin Chen-shi, Lin Po-sheng, Lee Ta-chi, Hsieh Hsin-ying, Tseng Pei-yu. 102 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Good Films Workshop.
Sunday, October 16
1:00 pm The Coming of Tulku International Premiere
Cheng Tsun-shing (Hua cheng tsai lai jen, 2011)
A man of gentle paradox, 90-year-old poet Zhou Meng-die displays a particular economy of speech, gesture and expression belying his racing mental acuity. Viewers are quickly eased into his rhythm as Zhou’s life unfolds slowly and with purpose, thick with small pleasures. Those who allow themselves to be swept into his perspective will find themselves gently nudged into experiencing another mode of being. Written by Cheng Tsun-shing. Photgraphed by Shen Jui-yuan, John Han. 165 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Fisfisa Media.
4:15 pm Bear It International Premiere
Cheng Fen-fen (Hsiung hsiung ai shang ni, 2011)
In Cheng Fen-fen’s comedy, Peter is a travel guide and chaperone for teddy bears sent on tours by their families. When he is in an auto accident and three of the bears go missing, his attempts to replace them result in a number of human entanglements that his work with inanimate wards was designed to help him avoid. Soon he is enmeshed in a roving band of misfits far more unpredictable than his usual passengers. Written by Cheng Fen-fen. Photographed by Li Yi-hsu. With Kuo Pin-chao, Ko Chia-yen, Yu Jo-ching, Ting Chiang, Ma Chic-chin. 104 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. Distributed by Great Violin Film & TV Production.
7:00 pm Pinoy Sunday see 10/15
9:00 pm Ranger International Premiere
Chienn Hsiang (Kuei tu, 2010)
A convicted murderer is released from prison after 25 years. Finding himself immediately reimmersed into the violent brotherhood of Taiwanese mobdom, he risks ostracism and worse when he becomes protective of the abused child of the mob boss. He soon finds himself on the run in a riveting story of multigenerational violence and retribution whose cycle can only be broken from within. Written by Chienn Hsiang, Photographed by Xu Fang-hao, With Wu Pong-fong, Huang Jian-wei, Li Yun-yun. 80 min. In Taiwanese with subtitles. Distributed by Gray Wolf International Film Production.
Film tickets $11 for SFFS members, $13 general, $12 seniors, students and persons with disabilities; Opening Night film and party $15 for SFFS members, $20 general; Film Society CineVoucher 10-Packs $105 for SFFS members, $125 general. Box office opens September 8 for members and September 15 for the general public: online at sffs.org and in person at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema.
Taiwan Film Days is sponsored by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, Taiwan’s Government Information Office, Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau, airline sponsor EVA Air and media sponsors Hyphen Magazine and San Francisco Bay Guardian.
For screeners and interviews contact hilary@sffs.org
For photos and press materials visit: sffs.org/pressdownloads
Upcoming San Francisco Film Society programs
Opens September 9: Puzzle A middle-aged housewife, cherished by her husband and two sons but nevertheless taken for granted, discovers an aptitude for jigsaw puzzles in this beautifully modulated character portrait from Argentina.
Opens September 16: Aurora Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu destroys all notions of crime as entertainment in this painstakingly realistic anatomy of a crisis, delivering a chilling character study of an ordinary person driven to extremes.
September 22: Grand Opening of Film Society Cinema A ribbon-cutting ceremony, sake ceremony, selection of short films and open house reception.
September 23-25: Hong Kong Cinema New in 2011, presenting recent works from one of the world’s most exciting film industries.
September 26: The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan Private McKinley Nolan vanished 40 years ago on the Cambodian frontier. In 2006, his younger brother travels from rural Texas to Vietnam to try to unravel the story in this moving documentary.
September 27: Film Arts Forum: The Sound of Cinema A panel discussion and networking event offering insight and expertise on sound design in film.
September 28-29: Shaolin With a superstar cast including Andy Lau, Jackie Chan and Nicholas Tse, and the participation of a group of real Shaolin monks, this is an action-packed story of a ruthless warlord’s rehabilitation through Buddhist practice.
Opens September 30: Passione John Turturro’s tuneful exploration of the musical roots and traditions of Naples, Italy, as well as its influence on the rest of the world.