Six Taiwanese films chosen for PIFF

Six Taiwanese films have been selected to go to the 9th Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in South Korea, which will be held from Oct. 7 through Oct. 15. The festival will screen 266 films from 63 countries: the greatest number of films from the highest number of countries in the history of PIFF.

Out of 266 films, 39 films are world premieres, which reflects the increasing significance of the event.

The opening film is Wong Kar Wai's (王家衛) new version of 2046, which has been re-filmed and re-edited since its screening at Cannes this year. Supposedly a sequel to the critically acclaimed In the Mood for Love (花樣年華, 2000), the film is expected to captivate the audience with Wong's signature style of sensual images.

The closing film is Daniel Byun's The Scarlet Letter. Followed by his feature directorial debut Interview in 2000, the film is expected to win favor from both the public and the critics due to its delicate camera work, mature performances from the actors and a well-refined plot.

Formula 17 (十七歲的天空), a teen romance which was a box office hit in Taipei is selected in the section titled "A Window on Asian Cinema." Also in this section are Zero Chou's (周美玲) Splendid Float (艷光四射歌舞團), Wang Hsiaodi's (王小棣) Bear Hug (擁抱大白熊) and acclaimed director Hou Hsiao-hsien's (侯孝賢)Cafe Lumiere (咖啡時光).

Splendid Float tells of a Taiwanese man who works as a Taoist priest during the day and a drag queen in cabarets during the night.

Bear Hug is a drama about the need to care for children of divorced parents. A group of school kids scheme an abduction in order to raise the attention of their adult relatives.

As for Hou Hsiao-hsien's Cafe Lumiere, it's a Japan-Taiwan co-production about a love story between the owner of an antique bookstore in Tokyo and a woman who decides to become a single mom after an accidental pregnancy. The film is made as a tribute to Japanese film master Ozu Yasujiro.

At PIFF this year, Hou will also be receiving the award of Asian Filmmaker of the Year for his contribution to the development of Asian film industry.

Documentary Ocean Fever (海洋熱) by Chen Lung-nan (陳龍男), has been selected for the "Wide Angle" section, which showcases outstanding documentary and short films from Asia. In the film, Chen documented the process of young rock devotees struggling to compete in the Gong-liao Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival (貢寮海洋音樂祭).

Butterfly Lovers: Leon and Jo, (梁山伯與祝英台) produced by Central Motion Pictures Corporation (中影, CMPC), is selected in the new screening section titled AniAsia, which features Asian animations from Hong Kong, Indonesia and Taiwan.

"New Currents," the only competitive section of the festival, through which the future leaders of Asian cinema are discovered, selected 12 films for competition.

The section recognizes the works of first-time filmmakers from Asia and the winner will be given the New Currents Award at the closing ceremony. The Taiwanese entry this year is Hsu Fu-chun (徐輔軍) with his debut feature Holiday Dreaming (夢遊夏威夷), starring Tony Yang (楊佑寧), the young actor from Formula 17.

Last year's winner of the New Currents Award was Taiwanese filmmaker Lee Kang-sheng (李康生) with the film The Missing (不見).