TPNWCP Hou Chi-Jan Series: "Taiwan Black Movies (臺灣黑電影)" 7-Day Film Screening

*As part of the 2020 Taiwan Post-New Wave Cinema Project, we kindly ask that you register to view this film through Eventbrite .

Please Note: Due to licencing regulations we are required to prioritise audiences based in the UK for this film. As such, only those who have registered with a .uk email address will be provided with screening links.

Synopsis

This incisive documentary brings back to life a Taiwanese film genre that was given up for dead. In the early 1980s, a time of strict censorship and political repression in Taiwan, an unexpected trend in “social realist” crime films suddenly flourished in the corner of exploitation cinema. However, the “social realism” here is a euphemistic description for what is really a B-film genre, which exploited both sex and violence.

Given momentum by sensational dramas featuring female avengers, these films marked an interesting counterpoint to the rise of Taiwan New Cinema, the definitive new wave movement in Taiwan's film history. This documentary comprises fragments from many of these now untraceable films, alongside interviews with the filmmakers who were involved.

Director Hou Chi-Jan

Born in 1973, Hou often uses history and memory as his subject, and infuses a strong personal style into his poetic imagery. His first documentary feature Taiwan Black Movies (2005) studies social realist films in the 80’s, and is one of the most important expositions in Taiwanese cinema history.

Organiser: SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies

Contact email: ml156@soas.ac.uk

Sponsor: Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute X Taiwan Docs X Taiwan Cinema Toolkit