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Hou Hsiao-hsien (; born 8 April 1947) is a Mainland Chinese-born Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He is a leading figure in
world cinema World cinema is a term in film theory that refers to films made outside of the American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial American cinema.Nagib, Lúcia. "Towards a positive de ...
and in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
's New Wave cinema movement. He won the Golden Lion at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
in 1989 for his film ''
A City of Sadness ''A City of Sadness'' () is a 1989 Taiwanese historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the " White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their ...
'' (1989), and the Best Director award at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
in 2015 for '' The Assassin'' (2015). Other highly regarded works of his include '' The Puppetmaster'' (1993) and ''
Flowers of Shanghai ''Flowers of Shanghai'' is a 1998 Taiwanese drama film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien starring Tony Leung as a wealthy patron and Hada Michiko, Annie Shizuka Inoh, Shuan Fang, Jack Kao, Carina Lau, Rebecca Pan, Michelle Reis, and Vicky Wei ...
'' (1998). Hou was voted "Director of the Decade" for the 1990s in a poll of American and international critics by ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'' and ''
Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film Co ...
''. In a 1998
New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, i ...
worldwide critics' poll, Hou was named "one of the three directors most crucial to the future of cinema." ''A City of Sadness'' ranked 117th in the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
's 2012 ''
Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...
'' critics' poll of the greatest films ever made. In 2017,
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
ranked Hsiao-hsien 16th on its list of the 25 best film directors of the 21st century.


Life and career

Hou Hsiao-hsien was born in
Meixian District Meixian (, Hakka: Moiyen), formerly Meihsien, is a district of Meizhou City, in northeastern Guangdong Province, China. The county is an important Hakka settlement and is the ancestral home of many Hakka descendants living in Taiwan. History ...
,
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
in 1947 to a
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
family. Later that same year, Hou's father took a job as Head Secretary for the Mayor of
Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Ta ...
City. The rest of the family joined him in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
the following year and in 1949 he was made Supervisor of the Taipei Educational Bureau. Hou was educated at the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts. Internationally, Hou is known for his austere and aesthetically rigorous dramas dealing with the upheavals of Taiwanese (and occasionally larger Chinese) history of the past century by viewing its impacts on individuals or small groups of characters. ''
A City of Sadness ''A City of Sadness'' () is a 1989 Taiwanese historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the " White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their ...
'' (1989), for example, portrays a family caught in conflicts between the local Taiwanese and the newly arrived Chinese Nationalist government after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. It was groundbreaking for broaching the long-taboo February 28 Incident and ensuing
White Terror White Terror is the name of several episodes of mass violence in history, carried out against anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, revolutionaries, or other opponents by conservative or nationalist groups. It is sometimes contrasted wit ...
. It became a major critical and commercial success, and garnered the Golden Lion award at the 1989
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
, making it the first Taiwanese film to win the top prize at the prestigious international film festival. His storytelling is elliptical and his style marked by extreme
long take In filmmaking, a long take (also called a continuous take or continuous shot) is a shot with a duration much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general. Significant camera movement and elaborate bl ...
s with minimal camera movement but intricate choreography of actors and space within the frame. He uses extensive improvisation to arrive at the final shape of his scenes and the low-key, naturalistic acting of his performers. His compositions are decentered, and links between shots do not adhere to an obvious temporal or causal narrative logic. Without abandoning his famous austerity, his imagery has developed a sensual beauty during the 1990s, partly under the influence of his collaboration with cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bin. Hou's consistent screenwriting collaborator since the mid-1980s has been the renowned author Chu T’ien-wen, a collaboration that began with the screenplay for Chen Kunhou's 1983 film, '' Growing Up''. He has also cast revered puppeteer
Li Tian-lu Li Tien-lu (24 December 191013 August 1998) was a Taiwanese puppeteer. He is best known to the international audience for playing principal characters in several Cinema of Taiwan, Taiwanese films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Biography Born in T ...
as an actor in several of his movies, most notably '' The Puppetmaster'' (1993), which is based on Li's life. Hou's films have been awarded top prizes from prestigious international festivals such as the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
,
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, Berlin Film Festival,
Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...
and the
Nantes Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
'' (best film award) at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
. Hou was voted "Director of the Decade" for the 1990s in a poll of American and international critics put together by ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'' and ''
Film Comment ''Film Comment'' is the official publication of Film at Lincoln Center. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. Founded in 1962 and originally released as a quarterly, ''Film Co ...
''. He contributed two songs to the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
of ''
Dust of Angels ''Dust of Angels'' () is a 1992 Taiwanese crime film directed by Hsu Hsiao-ming, executive produced by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien. It was entered into Directors' Fortnight at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. "''An lah''" () is a Taiwanes ...
'', a film he produced. He directed the Japanese film ''
Café Lumière is a 2003 Japanese film directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien for Shochiku as homage to Yasujirō Ozu, with direct reference to the late director's '' Tokyo Story'' (1953). It premiered at a festival commemorating the centenary of Ozu's ...
'' (2003) for the
Shochiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not ...
studio as an homage to
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...
; the film premiered at a festival commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth. The film deals with themes reminiscent of Ozu—tensions between parents and children and between tradition and modernity—in Hou's typically indirect manner. His 2005 film ''
Three Times ''Three Times'' ( Chinese: 最好的時光; ''Zuìhǎo de shíguāng''; lit. 'Best of Times') is a 2005 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It consists of three separate stories of romance, set in different eras, using the same lead actors ...
'' features three stories of love set in 1911, 1966 and 2005 using the same actors,
Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...
and
Chang Chen Chang Chen (born 14 October 1976) is a Taiwanese actor. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His father Chang Kuo-chu and his brother Hans Chang are also actors. Career Chang started his film career at a very young age. He was then selected by a ...
. In August 2006, Hou embarked on his first Western project. Filmed and financed entirely in France, ''
Flight of the Red Balloon ''Flight of the Red Balloon'' (french: Le voyage du ballon rouge) is a 2007 French-Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It is the first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, and tells the story of a French family as se ...
'' (2007) is the story of a French family as seen through the eyes of a Chinese student. The film is the first part in a series of films sponsored by the Musée d'Orsay and stars
Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
. In 2010, Hou directed the 3D short film for the
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
Pavilion at the
Expo 2010 Shanghai China Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the tr ...
. Hou has also had some acting experience, appearing as the lead in fellow Taiwanese New Wave auteur
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
's 1984 film '' Taipei Story''. He starred as Lung, a former minor league baseball star who is stuck operating an old-style fabric business, longing for his past days of glory. Lung becomes alienated from his girlfriend and tries to find his way in Taipei. Hou also had a small role in the 2013 Chinese comedy-drama film ''Young Style'', about a group of teenagers in high school. In 2015, Hou won the Best Director award at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
for '' The Assassin'' (2015).


Films directed

To date, Hou has directed a total of 18 feature films, and three short film segments of omnibus films, which leads to a total 21 films he directed. Out of the 21 films he has directed, he has written or co-written 11 of those films in addition to writing or co-writing 10 other films directed by other filmmakers, including '' Taipei Story'' (1985) (Dir.
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
), ''
Heartbreak Island ''Heartbreak Island'' is a 1995 Taiwanese drama film directed by Hsu Hsiao-ming. The film follows a recently released woman prisoner as she visits her ex who was arrested in the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident but released before her. The film makes extens ...
'' (1995) (Dir. Hsiao-ming Hsu) and ''My Favorite Season'' (1985) (Dir. Kun Hao Chen).


Feature films

Hou has directed a total of 18 feature films, of which he has written 11.


''Cute Girl'' (1980)

Hou's first film as a director, as well as writer, was ''
Cute Girl ''Cute Girl'', also known as ''Lovable You'' (), is a 1980 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by director Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan and Fong Fei-fei. It was Hou Hsiao-hsien's first feature film. Plot Wenwen, the ...
'' (1980) or ''Lovable You'', a relatively formulaic romantic comedy (prevalent in Taiwan at the time) starring
Kenny Bee Chung Chun-to (born 23 February 1953), also known by his stage name Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is best known as the singer of the group the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong ente ...
, Anthony Chan and
Feng Fei-fei Fong Fei-Fei (), born Lim Chiu-Luan (; 20 August 1953 – 3 January 2012), was a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer, host and actress. As one of the biggest pop singers in Taiwan, she was known for her melodic love songs, unique personal stage st ...
. The film was primarily devised as a vehicle for Bee and Feng, who were popular pop-stars in Hong Kong and Taiwan, respectively, at the time. Hou would later collaborate with both Bee and Fong later on in his next feature film, ''Cheerful Wind'' (1981). Although the film was shot in a more commercial style unlike his later work, film critic and writer David Bordwell stated that ''Cute Girl'' and the rest of Hou's early films "show oudeveloping, in almost casual ways, techniques of staging and shooting that will become his artistic hallmarks."


''Cheerful Wind'' (1981)

The second feature film that Hou both wrote and directed was ''Cheerful Wind'' (1981) (Feng er ti ta cai), which teamed him up again with the trio of leads from ''
Cute Girl ''Cute Girl'', also known as ''Lovable You'' (), is a 1980 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by director Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan and Fong Fei-fei. It was Hou Hsiao-hsien's first feature film. Plot Wenwen, the ...
'',
Kenny Bee Chung Chun-to (born 23 February 1953), also known by his stage name Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is best known as the singer of the group the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong ente ...
,
Feng Fei-fei Fong Fei-Fei (), born Lim Chiu-Luan (; 20 August 1953 – 3 January 2012), was a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer, host and actress. As one of the biggest pop singers in Taiwan, she was known for her melodic love songs, unique personal stage st ...
and Anthony Chan.


''The Green, Green Grass of Home'' (1982)

Hou's third feature film which he both directed and wrote was ' (1982) (Zai na he pan qing cao qing), which also starred
Kenny Bee Chung Chun-to (born 23 February 1953), also known by his stage name Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is best known as the singer of the group the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong ente ...
from his previous two films but also a set of new actors that Hou previously did not work with before, including child actor (at the time) Chou Pin-chun, who won a Best Child Star award from the 1982
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
for his performance in the film. The film was also nominated for Best Film, Best Director and another Best Child Star award (for actor Cheng Chuan-wen) at the 1982 Golden Horse Film Festival as well.


''The Boys from Fengkuei'' (1983)

As his fourth feature film, ''
The Boys from Fengkuei ''The Boys from Fengkuei'' (also known as ''All the Youthful Days'') () is a 1983 film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Synopsis Ah-ching ( Doze Niu) and his friends have just finished school in their island fishing village, Fengkuei, and now spend ...
'' (1983) featured the beginnings of what Hou would later consider tenets of his cinematic style, which include more of a naturalistic style and focusing more on youth and provincial/rural life. The film starred now-director
Doze Niu Doze Niu (, also known as Niu Chen-zer; born June 22, 1966) is a Taiwanese actor, film director, show host, screenwriter, and producer. As a film director, he is best known for the Taiwanese film '' Monga''. Early life Niu was born in Taipei, ...
as Ah-Ching, as a member of a gang of young boys who have finished school in their island fishing village of Fengkuei and spend most of their days fighting and drinking. They decide to go to the port city of Kaohsiung to look for work, where Ah-Ching falls in love with a girlfriend of a neighbor. The film is also about how the teenagers face the realities of urban life as they come of age. The film won the Golden Montgolfiere award (tied with ''Wanderers of the Desert'' (1984)) at the 1984
Nantes Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
.


The "Coming of Age" Trilogy (1984-1987)

Hou's "Coming of Age" trilogy includes the three films: ''
A Summer at Grandpa's ''A Summer at Grandpa's'' () is a 1984 Taiwanese coming-of-age family drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and co-written with Hou by Chu Tʽien-wen. The film tells the semi-autobiographical exploits of a young brother and sister who spend a pivo ...
'' (1984), '' A Time to Live, A Time to Die'' (1985), and ''
Daughter of the Nile ''Daughter of the Nile'' () is a 1987 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien. Background The film's title is a reference to a character in a manga called '' Crest of the Royal Family'' who is hailed as Daughter of the Nile. The film is a s ...
'' (1987).


''A Summer at Grandpa's'' (1984)

Hou's fifth feature film was ''
A Summer at Grandpa's ''A Summer at Grandpa's'' () is a 1984 Taiwanese coming-of-age family drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and co-written with Hou by Chu Tʽien-wen. The film tells the semi-autobiographical exploits of a young brother and sister who spend a pivo ...
'' (1984), which won a Best Director award for Hou at the 1984
Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Tok ...
and the Golden Montgolfiere award (tied with ''The Runner'' (1984)) at the 1985
Nantes Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...
. The film was also nominated for a Best Child Star (Chi-Kuang Wang) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Chu T’ien-wen) at the 1984
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
. The film also starred fellow New Taiwanese filmmaker
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
in a brief role, with Yang returning the favor by casting Hou in his film '' Taipei Story'' (1985).


''A Time to Live, A Time to Die'' (1985)

As his sixth feature film, '' A Time to Live, A Time to Die'' (1985) (also known as ''The Time to Live and the Time to Die'', ) was perhaps Hou's first internationally successful film, winning a grand total of 8 awards from film festivals all over the world: a Special Jury Award at the 1985
Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Tok ...
, a
FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
at the Forum of New Cinema at the 1986
Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...
(or
Berlinale The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
), a Best Original Screenplay (Hou Hsiao-hsien and Chu T’ien-wen), a Best Supporting Actress (Ru-Yun Tang) at the 1985
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
(where it was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Original Film Score (Chu-chu Wu) and Best Sound Recording (Chiang-Sheng Hsin) awards), a Special Jury Award at the 1986
Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...
, a Rotterdam Award for Best Non-American/Non-European Film at the 1987
Rotterdam International Film Festival The International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental fi ...
, a Kinema Junpo Award at the 1990
Kinema Junpo Awards , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
(also for ''
Dust in the Wind "Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album ''Point of Know Return''. The song peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the wee ...
), and a Special Jury Prize at the 1986
Torino International Festival of Young Cinema The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...
.


The

Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a ...
Trilogy (1986-1993)

Hou's "Wu Nien-jen Trilogy" includes the three films: ''
Dust in the Wind "Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album ''Point of Know Return''. The song peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the wee ...
'' (1986), ''
A City of Sadness ''A City of Sadness'' () is a 1989 Taiwanese historical drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the " White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their ...
'' (1989), and '' The Puppetmaster'' (1993).


''Dust in the Wind'' (1986)

Hou's seventh feature film was ''
Dust in the Wind "Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album ''Point of Know Return''. The song peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the wee ...
'' (1986), which won a Kinema Junpo Award for Best Foreign Language Film Director at the 1990
Kinema Junpo Awards , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
(shared also with his previous film, ''A Time to Live, A Time to Die''), and Best Cinematography Mark Lee Ping Bin and Best Score (Hou Hsiao-hsien) at the 1987
Nantes Three Continents Festival The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival held since 1979 in Nantes, France, and is devoted to the cinemas of Asia, and Africa and Latin America. It was founded by Philippe and Alain Jalladeau.Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
) who is involved in crime and gangs. The title is also a reference to a character in the Japanese manga ''
Crest of the Royal Family is a shōjo manga by Chieko Hosokawa. It has run in the monthly magazine ''Princess'' since 1976. In 1991, it received the 36th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo. As of 2015, the collected volumes had sold 40 million copies in Japan, making ...
'' who is referred to as the "Daughter of the Nile." The film won a Best Original Film Score award (Hung-yi Chang) at the 1987
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
and also a Special Jury Prize in the International Feature Film Competition at the 1987
Torino International Festival of Young Cinema The Torino Film Festival (also called the Turin Film Festival, TFF) is an international film festival held annually in Turin, Italy. Held every November, it is the second largest film festival in Italy, following the Venice Film Festival. It was f ...
.


''A City of Sadness'' (1989)

Hou's ninth feature film was almost universally acclaimed by film critics as a masterpiece upon its release. It has the distinction of being the first ever Taiwanese film to win the prestigious Golden Lion award at the 1989
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
, where Hou also won a Special Golden Ciak award ("For artistic originality and sensitivity") and a
UNESCO Award Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) awards ''The Cultural Diversity Award under the patronage of UNESCO'' annually to a film practitioner and film from the region for their exceptional contribution for upholding and promoting the cultural diversity th ...
. It is also the very first film to openly deal with the authoritarian rule of the
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
(KMT) after taking Taiwan over from the Japanese in 1945 following WWII, and the tragic February 28 Incident (1947), where thousands of Taiwanese citizens were killed. In the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
's 2012 Sight & Sound poll, 2 directors and 14 film critics named it one of "the greatest films ever made", ranking #322 in the directors' poll and #117 in the critics' poll. The film was also Taiwan's Best Foreign Language Film entry for the 62nd Academy Awards, but it did not make the final nomination shortlist. Starring
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place ...
as the deaf-mute but all-seeing Wen-ching and his older brother Wen-leung (
Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
), the film dealt with political subject matter involving the February 28 Incident and the "
White Terror White Terror is the name of several episodes of mass violence in history, carried out against anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, revolutionaries, or other opponents by conservative or nationalist groups. It is sometimes contrasted wit ...
" era where countless Taiwanese citizens were incarcerated and shot by the KMT government in the late 1940s after their displacement from China to Taiwan after the Civil War of 1949. The film also won Best Director and Best Leading Actor (Sung Young Chen) awards at the 1989
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
, where it was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Original Screenplay (Chu T’ien-wen and Hou Hsiao-hsien), Best Film Editing (Ching-Song Liao), Best Cinematography (Huai-en Chen) and Best Sound Recording (Duu-Chih Tu and Ching-an Yang) awards. The film won a Kinema Junpo Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1991
Kinema Junpo Awards , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...
, a Best Foreign Language Film award at the 1991
Mainichi Film Concours The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by Mainichi Shinbun (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan, since 1946. It is the first film festival in Japan. History The origins of the contest date back to 1935, ...
, and a Special Award from the USA Political Film Society in 1990. It was also nominated for a Best Foreign Film award at the 1991 Independent Spirit Awards.


''The Puppetmaster'' (1993)

Hou's tenth film was '' The Puppetmaster'' (1993), a sprawling half-documentary, half-narrative film hybrid that told the story of
Li Tian-lu Li Tien-lu (24 December 191013 August 1998) was a Taiwanese puppeteer. He is best known to the international audience for playing principal characters in several Cinema of Taiwan, Taiwanese films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Biography Born in T ...
, the most celebrated puppeteer in Taiwan. The film won the Jury Prize at the 1993
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or.IMDb, The Puppetmaster - Awards & Nominations, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107157/awards?ref_=tt_awd The film was also another masterpiece listed in the 2012
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
Sight & Sound poll, with three directors and seven film critics declaring it as "one of the greatest films ever made." ''The Puppetmaster'' also won
FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
at the 1994
Istanbul International Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival ( tr, İstanbul Film Festivali) is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Tu ...
, the
Georges Delerue Georges Delerue (12 March 1925 – 20 March 1992) was a French composer who composed over 350 scores for cinema and television. Delerue won numerous important film music awards, including an Academy Award for '' A Little Romance'' (1980), three C ...
Prize at the 1993
Ghent International Film Festival Film Fest Ghent, spelt Film Fest Gent in Flemish and also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren ...
, the Distribution Help Award at the 1994
Fribourg International Film Festival The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Grand Prize is the main award of the Fribourg International Film Festival ...
(tying with '' Kosh ba kosh'' (1993)), and Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee), Best Makeup & Costume Design (Pei-yun Juan and Kuang-Hui Chang), and Best Sound Effects (Duu-Chih Tu) at the 1993
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
, where it was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Art Direction (Hung Chang, Hsien-Ko Ho, Ming-Ching Lu, and Chao-yi Tsai) and Best Original Film Score (Ming-chang Chen).


The Urban Youth Trilogy (1995-2001)

Hou's "Urban Youth Trilogy" includes the three films: ''
Good Men, Good Women ''Good Men, Good Women'' () is a 1995 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring Annie Yi, Lim Giong, and Jack Kao. It is the last installment in the trilogy that began with ''A City of Sadness'' (1989) and continued with '' The Puppetm ...
'' (1995), '' Goodbye South, Goodbye'' (1996), and ''
Millennium Mambo ''Millennium Mambo'' () is a 2001 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Plot The main character, Vicky, portrayed by actress Shu Qi, narrates from 2011 about her life 10 years earlier. She describes her youth and story of h ...
'' (2001).


''Good Men, Good Women'' (1995)

Hou's eleventh film was a post-modern time-jumping and fourth-wall breaking narrative that jumped between the modern-day life of an actress named Liang Ching (played by Annie Shizukah Inoh) and the historical role of Chiang Bi-Yu, who she was portraying in a 1940s period piece film.
Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
also appeared as her boyfriend, Ah-Wei. The film was nominated and in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 1995
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, and won Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay (Chu T’ien-wen) and Best Sound Recording (Duu-Chih Tu) at the 1995
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
, where it was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Leading Actress ( Inoh) and Best Film Editing (Ching-Song Liao) awards. The film also won Best Director and Best Art Direction (Hsien-Ko Ho, Wen-Ying Huang and Ming-Ching Lu) awards at the 1996
Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Tok ...
, Golden Deer awards for Best Director and Best Film at the 1996
Changchun Film Festival The Changchun Film Festival (中国长春电影节) is a biennial international film festival held in the Chinese city of Changchun. Ostensibly international, its award for best film, the Golden Deer has nevertheless primarily been awarded to Chin ...
, a Special Jury Award from the 1996
Fribourg International Film Festival The Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected films from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Grand Prize is the main award of the Fribourg International Film Festival ...
, the Golden Maile award for Best Narrative Feature at the 1995
Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...
, and a FIPRESCI/NETPAC Award (tied with ''Hkhagoroloi Bohu Door'' (1995)) and a Special Achievement Award at the 1996
Singapore International Film Festival The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) ( Chinese: 新加坡国际电影节) is the longest-running film festival in Singapore. Founded in 1987, the festival has a focus on showcasing international films and providing a global platform fo ...
. The film was also nominated for the Gold Hugo award for Best Feature at the 1995
Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
.


''Goodbye South, Goodbye'' (1996)

'' Goodbye South, Goodbye'', Hou's twelfth film, was set in rural Taiwan and concerned the lives of Taipei petty criminals played by Giong Lim, Shih-huang Chen, Vicky Wei,
Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
, Annie Shizukah Inoh (the latter two actors who Hou reunited with from ''
Good Men, Good Women ''Good Men, Good Women'' () is a 1995 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, starring Annie Yi, Lim Giong, and Jack Kao. It is the last installment in the trilogy that began with ''A City of Sadness'' (1989) and continued with '' The Puppetm ...
'' (1995)). The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1996
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and also won a Best Original Film Song award (for composer/lyricist/performer Giong Lim and his song "Self-Destruction") at the 1996
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
.


''Flowers of Shanghai'' (1998)

Hou's thirteenth film, ''
Flowers of Shanghai ''Flowers of Shanghai'' is a 1998 Taiwanese drama film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien starring Tony Leung as a wealthy patron and Hada Michiko, Annie Shizuka Inoh, Shuan Fang, Jack Kao, Carina Lau, Rebecca Pan, Michelle Reis, and Vicky Wei ...
'' (1998), would see him reunite with actor
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place ...
from ''A City of Sadness'' as well as
Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
, and was a period piece set in the elegant brothels (also known as "flower houses") of 1880s
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
. The screenplay was written and translated by acclaimed novelist
Eileen Chang Eileen Chang ( zh, t=張愛玲, s=张爱玲, first=t, w=Chang1 Ai4-ling2, p=Zhāng Àilíng;September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (梁京), was a Chinese-born A ...
, along with frequent Hou screenwriter collaborator Chu T’ien-wen, based on a novel by Bangqin Han. The film also starred Carina Lau, Michiko Hada, Vicky Wei, Annie Shizukah Inoh,
Rebecca Pan Rebecca Pan Di-hua (; also Poon Tik-wah, Pan Wan Ching) is a Hong Kong actress and singer. Early life She was born in Shanghai on 29 December 1931 and moved to Hong Kong in 1949. Career Her singing career began in 1957. One of her songs, which ...
and Ming Hsu. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1998
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and also won Best Director and Best Art Director (Wen-Ying Huang) at the 1998
Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Tok ...
, the Golden Crow Pheasant award at the 1999
International Film Festival of Kerala The International Film Festival of Kerala (abbreviated as IFFK) is a film festival held annually in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. This film festival started in 1996 and is hosted by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy ...
, as well as a Jury Award and a Best Art Direction award (Wen-Ying Huang and Chih-Wei Tsao) at the 1998
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
, where it was also nominated for Best Feature, Best Director and Best Makeup & Costume Design (Wen-Ying Huang, Shu-Chen Liao and Bu-Hai Shen).


''Millennium Mambo'' (2001)

''
Millennium Mambo ''Millennium Mambo'' () is a 2001 Taiwanese romantic drama film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. Plot The main character, Vicky, portrayed by actress Shu Qi, narrates from 2011 about her life 10 years earlier. She describes her youth and story of h ...
'' (2001) was Hou's fourteenth film and the film that marked his first collaboration with actress
Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...
, who would later go on to appear in three other of Hou's later films and become his muse. The film follows Shu as a character named Vicky, who looks back ten years to 2000 when she was in a relationship with Hao-Hao (Chun-hao Tuan) where she is now in a relationship with Jack (
Jack Kao Jack Kao (, born 23 April 1958) is a Taiwanese actor. Career He began his career in the late 1980s films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Kao credits his success to the many real-life gangsters he knew when he was young. He appeared in '' City of Sadness' ...
). The film's free-wheeling style, cinematography and sound design was praised by critics, and also garnered the Technical Grand Prize for the film's sound designer/mixer/director Duu-Chih Tu at the 2001
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, where it was also nominated for a Palme d'Or award. The film also won Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee), Best Sound Effects (Duu-Chih Tu) and Best Original Film Score (Kai-yu Huang and Giong Lim) at the 2001
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
, where it was nominated for Best Leading Actress (Shu Qi) and Best Original Film Song (composer/lyricist/performer Giong Lim, for the song "Fly to the Sky"). For the film, Hou also won the
Silver Hugo The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the compo ...
award at the 2001
Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...
, and a Best Director award as well as a Grand Prix award at the 2001
Ghent International Film Festival Film Fest Ghent, spelt Film Fest Gent in Flemish and also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren ...
. The film was also nominated for a Best Actress (Hong Kong/Taiwan) award at the 2002 Chinese Media Film Awards, a Screen International Award at the 2001
European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...
, and the Golden Maile award at the 2001
Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is ...
.


''Café Lumière'' (2003)

Hou's fifteenth feature film - ''
Café Lumière is a 2003 Japanese film directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien for Shochiku as homage to Yasujirō Ozu, with direct reference to the late director's '' Tokyo Story'' (1953). It premiered at a festival commemorating the centenary of Ozu's ...
'' (2003) (alternate title: "Kôhî jikô") - was a self-acknowledged homage to the cinema of legendary Japanese filmmaker
Yasujirō Ozu was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. He began his career during the era of silent films, and his last films were made in colour in the early 1960s. Ozu first made a number of short comedies, before turning to more serious themes in t ...
, who Hou considers a major influence on his own work. Set in Tokyo for the most part, the film starred Japanese pop singer
Yo Hitoto is a Japanese-Taiwanese pop singer. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Taiwanese. She can speak three languages: Japanese, English, and Mandarin. Tae Hitoto is her older sister. Her name Hitoto is not her real surname, it is her mother's ...
as Yōko in her acting debut (who won the "Newcomer of the Year" award at the 2005
Awards of the Japanese Academy The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...
for her performance) as well as renown Japanese actor
Tadanobu Asano , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor. He is known for his roles as Dragon Eye Morrison in '' Electric Dragon 80.000 V'', Kakihara in '' Ichi the Killer'', Mamoru Arita in '' Bright Future'', Hattori Genosuke in ''Zatoichi'', Ke ...
as Hajime Takeuchi. The film won the Golden Tulip award at the 2005
Istanbul International Film Festival The Istanbul Film Festival ( tr, İstanbul Film Festivali) is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. It is held every year in April in movie theaters in Istanbul, Tu ...
, and was also nominated for the Golden Lion award at the 2004
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
and a "Best Film Not in the English Language" award at the 2004 International Cinephile Society (ICS) Awards.


''Three Times'' (2005)

''
Three Times ''Three Times'' ( Chinese: 最好的時光; ''Zuìhǎo de shíguāng''; lit. 'Best of Times') is a 2005 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It consists of three separate stories of romance, set in different eras, using the same lead actors ...
'' would mark Hou's second collaboration with actress
Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...
and first collaboration with actor
Chang Chen Chang Chen (born 14 October 1976) is a Taiwanese actor. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His father Chang Kuo-chu and his brother Hans Chang are also actors. Career Chang started his film career at a very young age. He was then selected by a ...
. It is also his sixteenth film, and weaves together three separate stories that describe the relationship of a couple played by Shu and Chang during three separate time periods: (1) "A Time for Love" set in 1966 Kaohsiung; (2) "A Time for Freedom" set in 1911
Dadaocheng Dadaocheng is an area in Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan. It was also known as Twatutia (a transliteration of the Taiwanese Hokkien ''Tōa-tiū-tiâⁿ''), Daitōtei during Japanese rule, and Tataocheng ( Mandarin) during the Kuomintang era. ...
; and (3) "A Time for Youth" set in 2005
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
. The film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and at the 2005
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
, the film won Best Actress (Shu Qi), Best Taiwanese Film of the Year and Best Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year awards, while being nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Leading Actor (Chang Chen), Best Original Screenplay (Chu T’ien-wen and Hou Hsiao-hsien), Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee), Best Art Direction (Wen-Ying Huang), Best Makeup & Costume Design (Wen-Ying Huang, Shu-Chen Liao and Gin Oy), and Best Film Editing (Ching-Song Liao and Ju-kuan Hsiao) awards.IMDb, Three Times - Awards & Nominations, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459666/awards?ref_=tt_awd The film also won the Grand Prix / Golden Apricot award for Best Film at the 2006
Yerevan International Film Festival The ''Golden Apricot'' Yerevan International Film Festival (GAIFF) ( hy, «Ոսկե Ծիրան» Երևանի միջազգային կինոփառատոն) is an annual film festival held in Yerevan, Armenia. The festival was founded in 2004 w ...
, a Jury Prize from the 2005
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF ( et, Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival), is an annual film festival held since 1997 in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. PÖFF is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIA ...
, where it was also nominated for the Grand Prize. Finally, the film was also nominated for a Best Asian Film award from the 2006
Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ...
and a Best Foreign Language Film award from the 2006 St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards. In an Indiewire Critics' Poll taken in 2006 for Best Film of the Year, the film was ranked in 6th place.


''Flight of the Red Balloon'' (2007)

Hou's seventeenth film and first "foreign language" film (which featured dialogue in both French and Mandarin) was ''
Flight of the Red Balloon ''Flight of the Red Balloon'' (french: Le voyage du ballon rouge) is a 2007 French-Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It is the first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, and tells the story of a French family as se ...
'' (2007) (French: "Le voyage du ballon rouge"), which starred acclaimed French actress
Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...
,
Hippolyte Girardot Hippolyte Girardot (born Frédéric Girardot; 10 October 1955) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He is the father of actress Ana Girardot. Selected filmography * 1973: '' La Femme de Jean'', directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi * ...
, Fang Song and others. The film was nominated for the Un Certain Regard award at the 2007
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
and also won the
FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
at the 2007
Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
as well. The film's cinematographer, Mark Lee Ping-Bin aka Ping Bin Lee, also won 2nd place for a Best Cinematography award from the
National Society of Film Critics The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...
. Furthermore, the film won Best Film and Best Director awards in an
Indiewire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
Critics' Poll taken in 2008, which ranked Binoche's performance in the film the 5th best one of that year and in a
Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...
Film Poll taken the same year, the film won 2nd place for Best Film and 3rd place for Best Actress (Binoche). In addition, ''Flight of the Red Balloon'' won 3rd place in the 2009 International Cinephile Society (ICS) Awards for the "Best Film Not in the English Language" award, and the ICS also nominated the film for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Binoche), Best Adapted Screenplay (Hou Hsiao-hsien and Francois Margolin) and Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee) awards. The film was also nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film (France)by the Online Film & Television Association in 2009.


''The Assassin'' (2015)

'' The Assassin'' (2015) was Hou's eighteenth feature film and garnered him the Best Director award at the 2015
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
, where composer Giong Lim also won the Cannes Soundtrack Award. The film also swept the 2015
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
, winning a grand total of five awards: Best Director, Best Feature Film, Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee), Best Makeup & Costume Design (Wen-Ying Huang), and Best Sound Effects (Duu-Chih Tu, Shih Yi Chu, Shu-yao Wu).> The film was also nominated for 5 additional Golden Horse awards: Best Leading Actress (Shi Qu), Best Adapted Screenplay (Cheng Ah, Chu T’ien-wen and Hai-Meng Hsieh), Best Art Direction (Wen-Ying Huang), Best Original Film Score (Giong Lim) and Best Film Editing (Ching-Song Liao). The film was also nominated for a
BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
for "Best Foreign Language Film", but lost to '' Wild Tales''. ''The Assassin'' also won a Best Foreign Language Film award from the 2015
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Awards, a "Best Film Not in the English Language" award from the
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(where it was also nominated for a Best Cinematography award for DP Ping Bin Lee), and a Best Foreign Language film award from the
Vancouver Film Critics Circle The Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC) was founded in 2000 by David Spaner and Ian Caddell, in order to help promote Canadian films and the British Columbia Film and Television Industry. Its membership includes print, radio, on-line, and telev ...
in 2016. The film also won 2nd place for a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association in 2015, 3rd place in a 2015
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Critics' Poll for Best Director and Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee), where it also received an 8th place for Best Film and a 9th place for Best Editing (Chih-Chia Huang), and 2nd place for a Best Foreign Language Film Award from the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards in 2015. In addition, the film was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award from the 2016
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s, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Central Ohio Film Critics Association in 2016, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the
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in 2016, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the North Carolina Film Critics Association in 2016, and Best Motion Picture (International Film) award and won the Best Costume Design award from the Satellite Awards in 2015. ''The Assassin'' was also nominated for a Best Art Direction/Production Design award and a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Chicago Film Critics Association in 2015, an Art Cinema award from the 2015 Hamburg Film Festival, a Best Foreign Film award from the Kansas City Film Critics Circle in 2015, a Best International Film award from the Phoenix Critics Circle in 2015, a Best Cinematography ( Ping Bin Lee) and Best Foreign Language Film from the
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in 2015, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the St. Louis Film Critics Association in 2015, a Best Foreign Language Film award from the
Toronto Film Critics Association The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) is an organization of film critics from Toronto-based publications. As of 1999, the TFCA is a member of the FIPRESCI. History The Toronto Film Critics Association is the official organization of Toron ...
in 2016, and a Best Foreign Language Film award from the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association in 2015. The film was also Taiwan's official entry as
Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
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(2016) but did not make the final shortlist.


Short film segments in omnibus films

Hou has directed a total of three short film segments in omnibus or anthology films.


''The Sandwich Man'' (1983)

In 1983, Hou directed a short film segment in the omnibus film '' The Sandwich Man'' (1983) (the title segment, also entitled ''The Sandwich Man'') which also featured segments directed by
Wan Jen Wan Jen () (born 1950, Taipei) is a Taiwanese filmmaker.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei. "Wan Jen" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis (1998), p. 351. . He is a member of Taiwan's Cinema of Taiwan#New Wave Cinema, 1982 – 1990, ...
and Zhuang Xiang Zeng entitled ''The Taste of Apples'' and ''Vicki's Hat''. The screenplay for all three segments was written by
Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a ...
, and ''The Sandwich Man'' segment is based on a short story by writer/novelist
Huang Chunming Huang Chun-ming (; born 13 February 1935) is a Taiwanese literary figure and teacher. Huang writes mainly about the tragic and sometimes humorous lives of ordinary Taiwanese people, and many of his short stories have been turned into films, inc ...
entitled '' "His Son's Big Doll"'' (or ''Puppet''), whereas ''The Taste of Apples'' segment is based on a short story of the same name and ''Vicki's Hat'' is based on '' Xiaoqi's Cap'', all also by Huang. The film was an omnibus film that followed a similar omnibus film done a year earlier, ''In Our Time'' (1982), which featured short films directed and written by other Taiwanese filmmakers
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
, Yi Chang, , and Chao Te-chen. The film was also nominated for three awards at the 1983
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
: Best Supporting Actor (
Chen Bor-jeng Chen may refer to: People *Chen (surname) (陳 / 陈), a common Chinese surname * Chen (singer) (born 1992), member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band EXO * Chen Chen (born 1989), Chinese-American poet * (), a Hebrew first name or surname: * ...
who appeared in Hou's segment ''The Sandwich Man''), Best Child Star (Ching-Kuo Yan - who appeared in the ''Taste of Apples'' segment), and Best Adapted Screenplay (
Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a ...
).


''To Each His Own Cinema'' (2007)

Hou directed the short film segment "The Electric Princess House" in the omnibus film ''
To Each His Own Cinema ''To Each His Own Cinema'' (french: link=no, Chacun son cinéma : une déclaration d'amour au grand écran) is a 2007 French comedy-drama anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of ...
'' (2007).


3D Short Film for Taipei Pavilion

In 2010, Hou directed a 3D short film for the Taipei Pavilion in the
Expo 2010 Shanghai China Expo 2010, officially the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, from 1 May to 31 October 2010. It was a major World Expo registered by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), in the tr ...
.


''10+10'' (2011)

Hou also directed, and appeared as a presenter in, the short film segment "La Belle Epoque" of the seminal Taiwanese cinema omnibus/anthology film ' (2011). The segment starred
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and Fang Mei.


Writing

Hou has written 21 films in total, 8 of which he also directed (''The Assassin'', ''Flight of the Red Balloon'', ''Three Times'', ''Café Lumière'', ''A Time to Live, a Time to Die'', ''A Summer at Grandpa's'', ''Cute Girl'', and ''The Green, Green Grass of Home''). Most notably, Hou was one of the co-writers, along with Chu T’ien-wen and
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
on Yang's film '' Taipei Story'' (1985), which Hou also starred in as the main character and protagonist, Lung.


Producing

Hou has produced 14 films - meaning serving as a producer or executive producer on a project - and the only film he both produced and directed is '' The Assassin'' (2015). Among the notable films that he has served as an executive producer on include Chi Po-lin's '' Beyond Beauty: Taiwan from Above'' (2013) - winner of the Best Documentary award at the 2013
Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is u ...
,
Wu Nien-jen Wu Nien-jen (; born ; 5 August 1952) is a Taiwanese screenwriter, director, and writer. He is one of the most prolific and highly regarded scriptwriters in Taiwan and a leading member of the New Taiwanese Cinema, although he has also acted in a ...
's ''
A Borrowed Life ''A Borrowed Life'' () is a 1994 Taiwanese film and the directorial debut of Wu Nien-jen. The film depicts cultural and regime change in Taiwan. The film's running time is 167 minutes. Reviews by Ken Eisner in ''Variety'' and Stephen Holden in ' ...
'' (''Duo Sang'') (1994) (winner of the Grand Prize at The Torino Film Festival in Italy, the Best Actor and The International Critics Award at The Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece and one of Martin Scorsese's top/favorite/best films of the 1990s decade) and
Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar-Nominated ''
Raise The Red Lantern ''Raise the Red Lantern'' is a 1991 film directed by Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li. It is an adaptation by of the 1990 novella '' Raise the Red Lantern'' (originally ''Wives and Concubines'') by Su Tong. The film was later adapted into an ...
'' (1991).


Acting

Hou has acted in four films, including starring as the main character "Lung" in fellow Taiwanese New Wave auteur
Edward Yang Edward Yang (; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese cinema. He won the B ...
's '' Taipei Story'' (1985), which was perhaps Yang trying to return the favor for Hou casting him in his film ''
A Summer at Grandpa's ''A Summer at Grandpa's'' () is a 1984 Taiwanese coming-of-age family drama directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and co-written with Hou by Chu Tʽien-wen. The film tells the semi-autobiographical exploits of a young brother and sister who spend a pivo ...
'' (1984). Prior to that appearance, Hou appeared in another fellow Taiwanese New Wave filmmaker's film, ''I Love Mary'' (1984). In 1986, Hou played the character "Boy-Boy" in Kei Shu's ''Lao Niang Gou Sao'' (1986) and in 2013, Hou appeared as an older parental figure in Jie Liu's high school comedy, ''Young Style'' (2013).


Other work

Hou was an assistant director on seven films, a presenter for the segment "La Belle Epoque" in the Taiwanese omnibus film ''10+10'' (2011) (which he also directed), and a script supervisor on the film ''The Heart with Million Knots'' (1973). Hou also directed a TV commercial for Nippon Shokubai Co. in 1991.


Personal life

Hou's wife is Tsao Pao-feng, who was one of the producers on Hou's film ''
Flight of the Red Balloon ''Flight of the Red Balloon'' (french: Le voyage du ballon rouge) is a 2007 French-Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It is the first part in a new series of films produced by Musée d'Orsay, and tells the story of a French family as se ...
'' (2007). Together they have one daughter named Yun-hua. Hou's father was Hou Fen-ming, who was portrayed in Hou's film ''A Time to Live, A Time to Die'' (1985) (played by Tien Feng). Although he rarely discusses politics in public, Hou was a supporter of the now disbanded (民主行動聯盟) which advocates for Chinese unification. Hou has stated in interview that "I was born in mainland China, so to me I will always be Chinese, no matter where I am." The Taiwanese political magazine ''New Bloom'' describes that although Hou has often been regarded as the "quintessentially Taiwanese filmmaker" in the West, his personal politics opposes how his films are interpreted by Anglophone critics.


Filmography


As director


As producer


As actor / himself


Further reading

* * *Udden, James
"This Time He Moves! The Deeper Significance of Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Radical Break in Good Men, Good Women."
Cinema Taiwan: Politics, Popularity, and the State of the Arts eds. Darrell William Davis and Ru-shou Robert Chen (Routledge, 2007), 183–202. *Richard I. Suchenski (Ed.), ''Hou Hsiao-hsien'', FilmmuseumSynemaPublikationen Vol. 23, Vienna: SYNEMA - Gesellschaft für Film und Medien, 2014/


References


External links

*

at Camera-Stylo

at Strictly Film School

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080120081721/http://www.cinemaya.net/c7-h3.asp Tribute to Hou Hsiao-hsienat Cinemaya
Style and Meaning in the films of Hou Hsiao-hsien
- podcast of a lecture by Prof. John Orr, University of Edinburgh
Parametric Narration and Optical Transition Devices: Hou Hsiao-hsien and Robert Bresson in Comparison
Senses of Cinema article on the style of Flowers of Shanghai by Colin Burnett
Hou Hsiao-hsien
, a ''Reverse Shot'' symposium {{DEFAULTSORT:Hou, Hsiao-hsien 1947 births Living people 20th-century Taiwanese male actors Akira Kurosawa Award winners Asian film producers Film directors from Guangdong Directors of Golden Lion winners Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners Best Director Asian Film Award winners Georges Delerue Award winners Male actors from Meizhou People from Meixian District Taiwanese film directors Taiwanese film producers Taiwanese people of Hakka descent Taiwanese male film actors Taiwanese male television actors Taiwanese screenwriters Taiwanese people from Guangdong National Taiwan University of Arts alumni