Cinema of Taiwan
Taiwan cinema reflects the island's history through diverse film movements.
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The cinema of Taiwan, rooted in the island's unique history, began with the introduction of film in 1901 under Japanese rule. It developed through distinct stages, including Taiwanese-language films of the 1950s–1960s, genre films of the 1960s–1970s, Taiwan New Cinema of the 1980s, and a new wave from the 1990s onward, with documentary films becoming representative after the early 2000s. Taiwan cinema is internationally known for directors such as King Hu, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Ang Lee, Tsai Ming-liang, Chang Tso-chi, Chung Mong-hong, Giddens Ko, and Midi Z.
Background
The first film was introduced to Taiwan in 1901 by Toyojirō Takamatsu. During Japanese rule, films served colonial projects of imperialization and cultural assimilation.
Early films were often educational or exoticizing, and Taiwanese filmmakers adopted Japanese conventions such as the benshi (narrator), which evolved into a star system. Notable benshi masters included Wang Yung-feng, Lu Su-Shang, and Zhan Tian-Ma. From the mid-1920s through 1945, Japanese-produced films were widely circulated, and after 1937, American and Chinese films were purged due to the Second Sino-Japanese War.
After 1949, Taiwanese cinema grew as filmmakers sympathetic to the Nationalists arrived. Over a thousand Taiwanese-language films were made from 1956 to 1981, but production declined due to limited scope, waning interest, and the Nationalist government's promotion of Standard Chinese. In 1963, the Central Motion Picture Corporation introduced 'Health Realism' melodrama to build traditional moral values during rapid modernization. Genre films such as kung fu and romantic melodramas were also popular.
Documentary development began after the lifting of martial law in 1987, aided by small camcorders and government support. The 2004 documentary 'Life' about the 1999 earthquake garnered record-high box office, increasing documentary popularity. Taiwanese documentaries often explore serious social or political issues and have gained international attention.
More in Film History & Movements
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Cinema of Taiwan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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