Starting tomorrow, the 2001 Taiwan Youth Film Workshop (2001青年電影季) will open
with the Taiwan premiere of Stanley Kwan's (關錦鵬) controversial film
(藍宇, 2001), which will set the tone for a series of workshops in performance
and direction that will be held over the following week.
The film received attention in the A Certain Regard category of the Cannes
Film Festival this year. Contributing further to its high profile is its
content, dealing with revelations about the gay scene in Beijing and the
fact that it was made after the director made public his own sexual
orientation.
Stanley Kwan has made such ground-breaking films such as The Actress
(1991, 阮玲玉) and commercial/art house hybrids such as Full Moon in New York
(人在紐約, 1990) and Red Rose White Rose (洪玫瑰與白玫瑰, 1994). According to Lu
Ci-ying (盧慈穎) of the Taiwan Film Center (台灣電影中心), which is organizing the
event, Lan Yu was picked partly to have an established filmmaker open the
festival, and also to screen a film dealing with issues, homosexuality in
this case, that are often avoided by Taiwan's film industry.
This will be the first release of Lanyu in Taiwan. Commercial release is
not expected until November.
Originally to be screened in the Eslite basement, popular interest in the
new film has led organizers to move the screening to the Fubon International
Conference Center (富邦國際會議中心) located at B2, 108 Tunhua S. Rd., Sec. 1
(敦化南路一段108號B2). Entry is free but places are limited. The screening will
take place at 1pm tomorrow.
In the following week, workshops in acting, film directing and editing will
be held. For more information about the workshops, contact the Taiwan Film
Center at tel: 2239-6026.
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