In the 40th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which run from September 10 to 20, Taiwan movies again became one of the major highlights of the event. Three great films directed by revered Taiwanese directors-- Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assasin, Sylvia Chang’s Murmur of the Hearts and Ming-liang Tsai’s Afternoon—were screened and introduced to Toronto’s movie lovers. Director Sylvia Chang, in particular, showed up in person during the festival to meet her fans, telling them why and how she made her films.
The Assassin is Hou Hsiao-hsien’s first film in eight years. This martial arts film had won for Hou the Best Director Award in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival before it came to Toronto. It was also selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. The Assassin’s North American debut has been anticipated for a long time by local movie buffs. The movie was run only twice in TIFF and the tickets were all sold out.
Murmur of the Hearts is Sylvia Chang’s latest work and was filmed on Taiwan’s Green Island and Taipei. It depicts three young people’s family memories and life stories, a continuation of Chang’s feminist perspective and movie style. Director Chang told the audience that Murmur of the Hearts explores the inner world of the human hearts, emphasizing dialogue and communication as the important connection in a family, a rare theme in recent Taiwanese movies.
Tsai Ming-liang’s short film No No Sleep was listed in 2015 Taipei Film Festival and the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival, and was rewarded the Best Director Award in the Taipei festival. Afternoon is a feature that Tsai directed and chose to screen at TIFF. The film was strongly recommended by the festival organizers with the following words: This is a very special, openhearted film, a gift to cinephiles — and to anyone who just loves a good conversation.
During the festival, the organizers also expressed special thanks to Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, the Taipei Cultural Centre of TECO in New York and TECO, Toronto for sponsoring and assisting the screenings of Taiwan movies in the film festival.
