Co-presented by
Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center
Tsai Ming-liang grew up in Southeast Asia during the radio era, and popular songs from Zhou Xuan, Bai Guang, Li Xianglan, Wu Yingyin, Yao Li, and Ge Lan constitute the soundtrack of his youth. But something changed after the Shaw Brothers’ films introduced Tsai to tracks like Everlasting Love and Lover’s Tears. “I realised then that I loved singing as well. I sing when I’m happy, I sing when I’m sad. And these are the songs I know by heart.” During a performance of Only You, his 2001 play, Tsai was so moved by Lee Kang Sheng’s 17-minute slow-walking scene that he said to Lee, “I have worked with you for 20 years and this is the moment I have been waiting for.”
The outdoor projections programme includes short films from his “Slow-Walking Series” including No Form (2012), filmed in Taipei, and Walker (2012), filmed in Hong Kong as well as selected footage from feature film Stray Dogs (2013). The outdoor rehearsal will take place in the Prison Yard, while Tsai will use the indoor performance to bring us back to the golden era of his past by sharing intimate stories from his life and career and performing some of his favourite old songs.
Recognisable by his trademark sombre and sensual touch, Tsai Ming-liang is one of the most celebrated filmmakers of the Taiwanese Second New Wave. Seeing the human body as a mysterious, malleable, strange and vulgar machine, he seeks to strip it naked of sensory functions through his work. His films, often devoid of narratives and dialogues, are composed of long, slow takes that convey humans’ helplessness, desires, emptiness and loneliness in a bid to portray human life in its truest form. Tsai’s honours include a Golden Lion for Best Picture at that 51st Venice International Film Festival for Vive L’Amour, Silver Bear Special Jury Prize at 47th Berlin International Film Festival for The River, FIPRESCI award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival for The Hole, Alfred Bauer Prize and Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement at 55th Berlin International Film Festival for The Wayward Cloud, and Grand Jury Prize at 70th Venice International Film Festival for Stray Dog.
Outdoor Projections
Dates: 15-16 Nov (Thu & Fri)
Time: 7pm-10pm
Location: Laundry Steps
Free admission
Open Rehearsal
Date: 15 Nov (Thu)
Time: 7pm-9pm
Location: Prison Yard
Free admission
Performance
Date: 16 Nov (Fri)
Time: 7pm-9pm
Location: JC Cube
Free admission, please register on Tai Kwun website / app
“Art After Hours” is an evening event series presented by Tai Kwun Contemporary that will talk with you, sing with you, show and tackle something new every time. Usually held on Fridays at 7pm, “Art After Hours” aims to sharpen art awareness through talks, performances and screenings by artists, writers, intellectuals and curators alike.
