Documentary screening and director Q&A: 'A Chip Odyssey'
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
5:30 pm to 9:00 pm
- Venue
- Brunei Gallery SOAS
- Room
- BGLT
- Event type
- Film screening
About this event
The Centre of Taiwan Studies is delighted to screen A Chip Odyssey (2025), followed by a director Q&A, with the epic documentary tracing Taiwan’s transformation into a global semiconductor leader – a journey that began half a century ago with bold bets and quiet builders who shaped the future.
The event is being held in partnership with the Taipei Representative Office in the United Kingdom.
Film synopsis
In 2019, director Hsiao Chu-Chen was moved by stories at the memorial of semiconductor pioneer Hu Ding-Hwa – accounts of engineers who, driven by national mission, travelled overseas to acquire the knowledge that ignited Taiwan's chip industry. Their sacrifice and resolve laid the foundation for Taiwan's semiconductor revolution and marked a pivotal chapter in the island's struggle for survival and global relevance.
Directed by Hsiao Chu-Chen and produced by Ben Chen and Ben Tsiang, this 5-year documentary draws on voices across generations – from early contributors to today's professionals. Through pioneering engineers, female line technicians, policymakers, and scientists, A Chip Odyssey traces how half a century ago an entire island came together in a high-stakes gamble to shape its own destiny. Though Taiwan accounts for less than 0.02% of the world's landmass, its chips now power everything from smart devices to strategic defence, placing the island at the centre of the global technology race.
This screening accompanies AI Without Borders 2.0, a UK-Taiwan forum on Thursday 11 June 2026 at Vorboss during London Tech Week, examining trustworthy AI governance and the supply chains underpinning modern AI. A Chip Odyssey adds the human story behind that hardware. Register at tlataiwan.co.uk.
Image Credit: RCA team members in the U.S. with friends ©CNEX
About the director
Hsiao Chu-Chen is a senior documentary filmmaker, drama producer, and professor at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. A two-time Golden Horse Award winner for Best Documentary — The Red Leaf Legend (1999) and Grandma's Hairpin (2000) — her work has been selected for IDFA, Busan, Yamagata, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Her documentaries include Our Time, Our Story – 20 Years of New Taiwan Cinema (2002), Face Taiwan – Power of Taiwan Cinema (2015), The Dreamer (2022), and On the Train (2023), the latter again selected for the Busan International Film Festival.
Related events
AI Without Borders 2.0, Thursday 11 June 2026, Vorboss, London. A UK-Taiwan forum on trustworthy AI, AI for societal transformation, and resilient infrastructure, during London Tech Week. Details and registration at tlataiwan.co.uk.
