The 69th Berlinale programme has been announced and several Taiwanese directors will showcase their talents on the international platform. LIN I-jin’s debut short film, Tiptoe, will have its world premiere in the Generation Kplus competition. TSAI Ming-liang’s Rebels of the Neon God was selected for the Panorama 40 section, a special programme from its 40-year history, and he had won a number of awards at the Berlinale since the film presented in the 1993 Panorama. Three Taiwanese filmmakers, LIEN Chien-hung, HSIEH Ming-jen and HSU Wei-san are selected for this year's Berlinale Talents. In addition, another two Taiwanese films, Han Dan and LOVE Talk will have screenings at the European Film Market.
▲Tiptoe directed by LIN I-jin
The annual launch of the film gathering brings with it the possibility of discovering an interesting hybrid of film genres. Having taken on various roles including novelist, journalist and playwright, and, for many years, worked as a freelance contributor to numerous German-language publications, the multi-talented Jade Y. CHEN recently crossed over into moviemaking and completed her directing debut, Looking for Kafka. The story unfolds through a mysterious kidnapping case of LIN and the search in Taiwan by two of his lovers, who desperately wish him safe and sound. The film was nominated for the Asian New Talent Award at Shanghai International Film Festival 2018.
▲Looking for Kafka directed by Jade Y. CHEN
Director HUANG Chao-liang had a massive success at the box office with The Wonderful Wedding back in 2015. His latest film Han Dan takes Taitung’s folk culture "Blasting of Han Dan" as its subject. During the Lantern Festival on the 15th of the first lunar month, Han Dan incarnate takes the sedan chair on behalf of the deity Lord Han Dan while people throw firecrackers at his shirtless body. People say Lord Han Dan hates the cold, so they throw firecrackers at him to warm him up, believing that the more firecrackers they throw, the better financial fortune they will have in the following year. Young men are willing to take on the role of Han Dan incarnate because they think it can expiate their sins and show their great courage to fellow friends. The two protagonists with lonely souls give out whatever they have, and the greatest hope for them is a peaceful mind through redemption.
