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1980s – 2000s

Taiwan New Cinema

Young Taiwanese filmmakers turned to realism, memory and city life, with long takes and quiet, observant storytelling.

In the early 1980s a few young directors, many educated abroad, turned away from the martial-arts films and romances then popular in Taiwan to make quiet, observant films about growing up and about the island's complicated history. Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang were the central figures, followed by Tsai Ming-liang. Their long shots, still cameras and patient pacing let ordinary time pass on the screen, and A City of Sadness (1989) was the first film to deal openly with the 1947 massacre and the period of martial law. The movement drew admiration at Venice, Cannes and Locarno and made Taiwan a centre of world art cinema.

Where
Taiwan
When
1982 to the 1990s
Key figures
Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Tsai Ming-liang, Ang Lee, Wang Tung
Landmark films
A City of Sadness (1989), A Brighter Summer Day (1991), Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
Legacy
Created a model of slow, observant cinema followed by directors across East Asia

What to look for

  • Long takes, fixed camera and distance from the action
  • Memory, family, growing up and political history
  • Natural light, daily life and a very patient rhythm

Famous Directors

Hou Hsiao-hsienTaiwanEdward YangTaiwanAng LeeTaiwan / USATsai Ming-liangTaiwan (born in Malaysia)

Top films · 41 films

  1. A Brighter Summer Day 1991 · Edward Yang · IMDb 8.2
  2. Yi Yi 2000 · Edward Yang · IMDb 8.1
  3. Life of Pi 2012 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.9
  4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.8
  5. Eat Drink Man Woman 1994 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.8
  6. The Terrorizers 1986 · Edward Yang · IMDb 7.7
  7. A City of Sadness 1989 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.7
  8. Sense and Sensibility 1995 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.7
  9. Brokeback Mountain 2005 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.7
  10. That Day, on the Beach 1983 · Edward Yang · IMDb 7.6
  11. Taipei Story 1985 · Edward Yang · IMDb 7.6
  12. Dust in the Wind 1986 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.6
  13. The Wedding Banquet 1993 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.6
  14. A Confucian Confusion 1994 · Edward Yang · IMDb 7.5
  15. A Time to Live and a Time to Die 1985 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.5
  16. Lust, Caution 2007 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.5
  17. Rebels of the Neon God 1992 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.5
  18. The Hole 1998 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.4
  19. Mahjong 1996 · Edward Yang · IMDb 7.3
  20. Boys from Fengkuei 1983 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.3
  21. The Ice Storm 1997 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.3
  22. Vive L'Amour 1994 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.3
  23. What Time Is It There? 2001 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.3
  24. Goodbye South, Goodbye 1996 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.2
  25. Flowers of Shanghai 1998 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.2
  26. Pushing Hands 1991 · Ang Lee · IMDb 7.2
  27. The River (1997) 1997 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.2
  28. Good Men, Good Women 1995 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.1
  29. Goodbye, Dragon Inn 2003 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 7.1
  30. The Puppetmaster 1993 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 7.0
  31. Millennium Mambo 2001 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 6.9
  32. Three Times 2005 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 6.9
  33. I Don't Want to Sleep Alone 2006 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 6.9
  34. Stray Dogs 2013 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 6.9
  35. Café Lumière 2003 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 6.8
  36. Taking Woodstock 2009 · Ang Lee · IMDb 6.7
  37. Days 2020 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 6.6
  38. Flight of the Red Balloon 2007 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 6.5
  39. The Wayward Cloud 2005 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 6.5
  40. The Assassin 2015 · Hou Hsiao-hsien · IMDb 6.3
  41. Face 2009 · Tsai Ming-liang · IMDb 5.9