10 Films you shouldn’t miss at the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia

By Asian Film Festival on July 20, 2022 • ( 1 Comment )

These are ten films (5 Shorts and 5 Features) you shouldn’t miss at the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia which will take place from July 28 until August 13, 2022 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

– Feature Films –

**Among Us** by Lin Cheng-Sheng – Taiwan | 2021 – 109 minuntes

Taiwan D.B. Art Collective is a studio based in Guandu Taiwan, specializing in teaching children with Autism and learning disabilities. Every student expresses their feelings through different mediums such as painting or playing music. Director Lin has spent years capturing the students’ stories and their parents who live with tremendous patience and love. This documentary creatively applies animations to bring the students’ artworks alive onto the big screen.

Award-winning Director Lin Cheng-Shen has made numerous films including A DRIFTING LIFE (1996), MARCH OF HAPPINESS (1999) and ROBINSON’S CRUSOE (2003), which were selected for Cannes Film Festival. In the past ten years, Lin has been paying close attention to people living with Autism, including in his previous documentary TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STARS (2010). (TFFA 2022)

Screening:
August 6, 2022 | Saturday | Parramatta (Sydney) | 11:30 am
(Screens with the short film “Girl in the Water”)

Trailer:

**Deepest Uprising** by Huang Ming-Chuan – Taiwan | 2021 – 78 minutes

Considered a pioneer independent filmmaker with a passion for art and literature, Huang Ming-Chuan often uses an unconventional style of filmmaking and artistic approach in his documentaries to voice the most critical issues in the current society.

In his latest work DEEPEST UPRISING, filmed across multiple regions in Asia including Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines,16 female poets use poetry to enunciate their concerns on various issues including gender inequality, discrimination, misogynistic crimes and political suppression. Despite the oppression, a new movement of female literature commences to emerge across Asia and fight for changes. (TFFA 2022)

Screening:
August 7, 2022 | Sunnday | Parramatta (Sydney) | 1:00 pm
(Screens with the short film “In Their Teens”)

Trailer:

**Goddamned Asura** by Lou Yi-An – Taiwan | 2021 – 114 minutes

In a crowded night market, Jan-Wen, a young man who just turned 18, commits a crime resulting in the death of a well-known online gaming broadcaster. The people around Jan-Wen’s start to pay attention to the investigation and understand his motives. What if the clock was turned back and Jan-Wen wasn’t the one who killed the civilian? (TFFA 2022)

Trailer:

**Increasing Echo** by Chienn Hsiang – Taiwan | 2021 – 85 minutes

Accomplished cinematographer Chienn Hsiang’s sophomore feature, INCREASING ECHO provides a substantial glimpse of a married couple living in an unparalleled world. Director Chienn’s extraordinary and classy cinematography captures the desolation of those drifting souls.

Mrs. Yan, who has a vigorous belief in energy and the spiritual world, faithfully mediates her surrendering to avoid the pain. One day, a phone call disrupts her world and awakens the inner demon of her. (TFFA 2022)

Trailer:

**Till We Meet Again** by Giddens Ko – Taiwan | 2021 – 128 minutes

TILL WE MEET AGAIN is an adaptation of the award-winning author Giddens Ko’s novel YUE-LAO. The film stars Gingle Wang (DETENTION, 2019), Kai Ko (MONEYBOYS, 2021) and Vivian Sung (NINA WU, 2019). The story of the magical tale of romance begins with a winsome childhood affair to an epic spiritual battle to save humanity. TILL WE MEET AGAIN offers a voguish style with action, music, and romance that certainly endeavors an exciting cinematic experience.

Ah Lun wakes up in an afterlife with memory loss, waiting to be reincarnated. To be reborn into a good person, he needs to partner up with Pinky to serve as cupids for the human world. When they both slowly regain their memories, they discover unfinished businesses that could frantically disrupt their worlds. (TFFA 2022)

Trailer:

– Short Films –

**Girl in The Water** by Huang Shi-Rou – Taiwan | 2021 – 7 minutes

Soaking in the water, she got a cut from a mysterious boat. The scar is like the paint peeling off the wall, she tries to repair it as it keeps worsening, just like her relationship in the past. (TFFA 2022)

Trailer:

**Keyboard Warrior** by Leo Liu – Taiwan | 2022 – 30 minutes

An online broadcaster who is obsessed with Kung Fu unexpectedly defeated three bullies all by himself. The incident has suddenly turned him into a famous heroic star. As his ego grows, the path leads him to a dangerous match against a professional boxer. (TFFA 2022)

Screening:
August 6, 2022 | Saturday | Parramatta Event Cinema (Sydney) | 6:45 pm
(Screens with the feature film “Increasing Echo”)

Trailer:

**Make A Wish** by Chen Ke-Yun – Taiwan | 2020 – 25 minutes

Two best friends made a promise to burn a thousand origami stars on the night of Valentine’s day to make a wish. When the weather took an unexpected change, they found themselves stranded under the roof. Would their wishes come true before they lit up the stars? (TFFA 2022)

Screening:
August 6, 2022 | Saturday | Parramatta Event Cinema (Sydney) | 4:30 pm
(This film is part of the Queer Short Selection co-presented by Taiwan International Queer Film Festival)

Trailer:

**Tank Fairy** by Erich Rettstadt – Taiwan, USA | 2021 – 10 minutes

One day Jojo’s house needs a gas tank replacement, and the service turns up with a magical tank fairy that blows Jojo and his mother’s minds. The humming song from the tank fairy stuck in Jojo’s head. Jojo decides to develop a style to go with the song but is rejected by society. What will Jojo do to overcome it? (TFFA 2022)

Trailer:

**The Night** by Tsai Ming-Liang – Taiwan | 2021 – 19 minutes

Under the neon light of a quiet street of Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, Director Tsai documented the city’s ambience of the aftermath in 2019. The Night was inspired by the same-titled Chinese song from the 1940s. As Tsai hums during the filming, the lyrics of the song echoes: “The beautiful night is slipping away, I hate to see you go.” (TAAF 2022)

Trailer: