From 1955 to 1981, some 1200 films, known in Mandarin as Taiyupian, were produced in Taiwanese, the first language of the country’s majority. Though wildly popular at first, Taiyupian received little of the official support given to films in Mandarin, the so-called “national language” imposed by the former martial-law regime, and were later dismissed as cheap, tacky, and faintly embarrassing. But after decades of neglect, ongoing preservation of the 200-odd surviving Taiyupian has uncovered a pop cinema of tremendous vitality and imagination-not to mention an often startling frankness-that rewrites the history of Taiwanese film.
The Austin Film Society teams up with the Austin Asian American Film Festival to present four recently-restored Taiyupian that demonstrate the dizzying range and invention of this fascinating genre. This series is co-presented by Austin Asian American Film Festival and Austin Film Society.
Schedule of events
- April 4: The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior
- April 11: The Husband’s Secret
- April 18: The Bride Who Has Returned From Hell
- April 25: Dangerous Youth
From 1955 to 1981, some 1200 films, known in Mandarin as Taiyupian, were produced in Taiwanese, the first language of the country’s majority. Though wildly popular at first, Taiyupian received little of the official support given to films in Mandarin, the so-called “national language” imposed by the former martial-law regime, and were later dismissed as cheap, tacky, and faintly embarrassing. But after decades of neglect, ongoing preservation of the 200-odd surviving Taiyupian has uncovered a pop cinema of tremendous vitality and imagination-not to mention an often startling frankness-that rewrites the history of Taiwanese film.
The Austin Film Society teams up with the Austin Asian American Film Festival to present four recently-restored Taiyupian that demonstrate the dizzying range and invention of this fascinating genre. This series is co-presented by Austin Asian American Film Festival and Austin Film Society.
Schedule of events
- April 4: The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior
- April 11: The Husband’s Secret
- April 18: The Bride Who Has Returned From Hell
- April 25: Dangerous Youth
From 1955 to 1981, some 1200 films, known in Mandarin as Taiyupian, were produced in Taiwanese, the first language of the country’s majority. Though wildly popular at first, Taiyupian received little of the official support given to films in Mandarin, the so-called “national language” imposed by the former martial-law regime, and were later dismissed as cheap, tacky, and faintly embarrassing. But after decades of neglect, ongoing preservation of the 200-odd surviving Taiyupian has uncovered a pop cinema of tremendous vitality and imagination-not to mention an often startling frankness-that rewrites the history of Taiwanese film.
The Austin Film Society teams up with the Austin Asian American Film Festival to present four recently-restored Taiyupian that demonstrate the dizzying range and invention of this fascinating genre. This series is co-presented by Austin Asian American Film Festival and Austin Film Society.
Schedule of events
- April 4: The Fantasy of the Deer Warrior
- April 11: The Husband’s Secret
- April 18: The Bride Who Has Returned From Hell
- April 25: Dangerous Youth