The Freer and Sackler Galleries will present “Views of Taiwan” screening five Taiwan contemporary and classic cinema, followed by post-screening discussions with selected filmmakers in person from September 21 to September 30, 2018 at Freer’s newly-renovated Meyer Auditorium. The screenings offer a rare opportunity for the audience from the greater Washington metropolitan area to see the most recent Taiwan filmmakers’ works and the efforts in perserving the audiovisual heritage on the big screen. Admission is free, for more information please visit website at https://www.freersackler.si.edu/events/films.
The Freer and Sackler Galleries stated that Taiwanese cinema is enjoying a renaissance these days, thanks to the commercial and critical success of such films as The Great Buddha+, On Happiness Road, and Love Education. The Galleries are seizing the opportunity to show these three new Taiwanese films, along with a restored classic “Legend of the Mountain” by Taiwanese master King Hu and a portrait of Taiwanese national treasure (and former Freer|Sackler curator) Fu Shen in the documentary titled “Traces of the Brush: The Heartprint of Fu Shen”.
“Views of Taiwan” is made possible by the support of the Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan), and Taiwan Academy of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.
The curtain of the “Views of Taiwan” film series will be raised on September 21, 2018 by “The Great Buddha+ “, the winner of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival NETPAC Award. The jury remarked, "The NETPAC Jury awards The Great Buddha+ for depicting the interface between the haves and have-nots, with black humor and style, innovating with noir in representing the social reality of Taiwan today."
“Legend of the Mountain” is a new 4K restoration film showcasing Taiwan’s efforts to preserve the audiovisual heritage. It tells the story of a travelling scholar who loses his way in the mountains in this classic film by director King Hu.
“On Happiness Road”, the winner of the Grand Prize of Feature Animation Competition, Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2018, tells a bittersweet tale set against the transition of Taiwan from a martial-law dictatorship in the 1980s to a full-fledged democracy, followed by post-screening discussions with director Sung Hsin-yin in person.
“Love Education” starring and directed by legendary Sylvia Chang, is a warm family drama examining Chinese tradition from the perspective of three generations of women.
The documentary “Traces of the Brush: The Heartprint of Fu Shen” explores the extraordinary career of Fu Shen, a Taiwanese scholar, collector, artist and educator, including his time at the Freer|Sackler. (E)
Enclosure：”Views of Taiwan” flyer
