Tsai Ming-liang
TSAI Ming-liang (1957, Malaysia) is a screenwriter, theatre director, and filmmaker based in Taiwan. In 1982, he graduated in Theatre and Film Directing from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. He worked as a theatrical producer and TV filmmaker and released his first feature, Rebels of the Neon God, in 1992. He was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival for his second feature Vive l’amour (1994) and became a leading figure of the Second New Wave of Taiwanese cinema. His films are recognisable by their long shots, sparse dialogue and the prominent presence of running water, or the sound of this. He has frequently collaborated with actors Lee Kang-sheng and Chen Shiang-chyi. The River (1997) is often referred to as his masterpiece and is considered his bleakest film. It was nominated for the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival and the Golden Hugo at Chicago International Film Festival and was awarded the Jury Prize at both festivals. His films have been screened at various film festivals worldwide, including Venice Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. He was nominated for and won multiple awards such as a Palme d’Or and FIPRESCI Prize. A year after Stray Dogs (2013) was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in Venice, he was named an Officer in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres to recognise his contribution to film.
Filmography
(selection) All the Corners of the World (1989, TV), Xiao hai/Boys (1991, TV short), Gei wo yi ge jia/Give Me a Home (1991, TV short), Ching shao nien na cha (Qingshaonian Nazha)/Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Chin wan shui/Vive l’amour (1994), Wo xin renshi de pengyou/My New Friends (1996, TV short doc), He liu/The River (1997), Dong/The Hole (1998), 2000 vu par… Une collection internationale/2000, Seen By… An International Film Collection (1998, TV mini series), A Conversation with God (2001, short), Ni nei pien chi tien/What Time is it There? (2001), Tien chao bu jien le/The Skywalk is Gone (2002, short), The Growing of the Saplings (2002, doc), Bu jian bu sa/Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003), Bem-Vindo a São Paulo/Welcome to São Paulo (2004, doc, segment Aquarium), Wo de chou xiaohai/My Stinking Kid (2004, TV short), Tian bian yi duo yun/The Wayward Cloud (2005), Hei yan quan/I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (2006), Chacun son cinéma (2007, co-dir, segment Is It a Dream?), Sleeping on Dark Waters (2008, short doc), Madame Butterfly (2009, short), Visage (2009), No Form (2012, short), Weng you/Sleepwalk (2012, short), Jingang Jing/Diamond Sutra (2012, short), Jiao you/Stray Dogs (2013), Xing Zai Shui Shang (2013, short), Xi you/Journey to the West (2014), Wu wu man/No No Sleep (2015, short), Na ri xia wu/Afternoon (2015, doc), Xiao Kang (2015, short), Qiu Ri (2016, short), The Deserted: VR (2017), Ni de lian/Your Face (2018, doc), Light (2019, short doc), Rizi/Days (2020)
More info: Wikipedia, Tsai Ming-liang
Tsai Ming-liang at IFFR
-
All corners of the world
Before Tsai acquired international recognition with Rebels of the Neon God he made television films, of which the best two are being screened in Rotterdam. They may not be as subtle as Rebels, but both films are impressive and moving. The show Tsai’s great empathy with the poor and criminal sub¡culture of Taipei. On Taiwanese […]
-
Boys
Li Kansheng, the protagonist in Tsai’s Rebels, plays a young delinquent in Boys. He blackmails a little boy from a wealthy middle-class family and forces him to pay increasing sums as ‘protection money’. He is the prototype of a child neglected by his parents and has learnt to hold his own on the wrong side […]
-
Rebels of the neon god
Stunning début about lonely and bored young people in Taipei.
-
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone
Minimalist and sensually charged investigation of the sultry relationship between a homeless Chinese, an illegal worker from Bangladesh and a waitress
-
Is It a Dream?
A film maker dreams about a cinema and sees his loved ones from childhood. That childhood and the loved ones cannot be brought back, but the cinema ca
-
Help Me Eros
Fantastic film about a man who lived in luxury in Taipei, but lost all his money on the stock exchange. His depression and his collection of marijuana
-
The Skywalk is Gone
Small-scale, refined urban story that balances between fiction and documentary. Tsai demonstrates on just what minimal means he can manage.
-
Your Face
Study of life and the human face in 13 close-ups. Minimalist, intimate, candid, and a unique watching experience.
-
Letters from the South
An omnibus film about how immigrant Chinese in Southeast Asia cling to their traditional customs, language and habits – even after centuries in a diff
-
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Ghosts from a long-gone film era and the last day of a cinema, where King Hu’s Dragon Gate Inn can be seen once more.