2020
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
入選
Directed by 伯特・史騰
What makes a classic a classic is its ability to awaken a sense of longing for times past. Timeless and ever-enchanting, classics are meant to be savored, again and again.
Old films, classics, and cinematic relics from the past always hold a certain allure. In these moving images, we see the spirited youth of the 1990s fighting for creative freedom, the vibrant chaos of 1980s Japan, and, through the pioneering lens of Taiwanese home-movie maker Deng Nan-Guang, fleeting moments of beauty from the Japanese colonial era. And of course—let’s not forget the soulful rhythms of Cuba’s legendary old-school jazz musicians.
Music and sound may seem fleeting, yet they leave lasting impressions in the hearts of listeners—sometimes even becoming songs passed down through time. Beyond sensory pleasure, the act of creating sound often carries a message shaped by a specific social context. Whether it is to resist mediocrity or to resonate with the land of daily life, sound conveys cultural memory and helps bring individuals together.
The Golden Horse Film Festival is Taiwan’s largest and most prestigious film event, with a long-standing history and growing international recognition. In 2020, the festival featured 176 outstanding films from over 50 countries and regions. From this rich lineup, Giloo has carefully selected 10 remarkable titles—ranging from auteur-driven feature films and issue-focused documentaries to experimental works that playfully reimagine cinema history. We invite you to revisit these standout selections and relive the highlights of the festival.
Why is it called "Touching the Essence of Humanity"? The phrase is actually drawn from a quote by Steve Jobs in The Lost Interview: “The key is to get in touch with the essence of what it means to be human—and then bring that into the work you do. I believe the reason the Macintosh succeeded is that the people who created it were musicians, poets, artists, zoologists, and historians—who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world. Had they not entered computer science, they would have excelled in their own fields. They brought a sense of humanity into the machine. That humanistic attitude allowed us to draw the best from other disciplines. You can’t do that if you’re narrow.” This film program centers on diversity—selecting classics across five different forms of cinema. Through this range, we aim to explore the roots of what makes a work “classic.” Diversity protects us from narrowness. The essence preserved in each field offers us a broader, more open-hearted way to expand the boundaries of life.
Old-school lovers often say: It’s not that I like old things—it’s just that the things I like have grown old. Being “old-fashioned” evokes the charm of a bygone era: a certain simplicity, sincere and warm human connections, and the grace of staying composed amid sweeping change. These are qualities slowly fading in our fast-paced, instant world. But through precious archival footage, we can once again feel the elegance of that old-school spirit—be it colonial-era Taipei, a jazz festival in 1950s America, the streets of Tokyo in late Showa, or a Paris fashion runway in the 1980s. If I must stay at home in isolation, I choose to retreat into this spiritual time capsule of vintage films—as if boarding the carriage from Midnight in Paris, traveling to a world that’s unfamiliar, yet deeply nostalgic.
With 8 live-feed cameras, 75 puppets, 20 miniature sets, and live music, this surreal jazz dream unfolds with Chaplin-style silent humor and cinematic magic. The world-renowned, top-tier DJ Kid Koala returns with his latest masterpiece: “The Storyville Mosquito.” In this multi-media performance that blends theater, film, and concert, a tiny mosquito arrives in the dazzling metropolis, chasing a dream to perform alongside a legendary jazz band at the iconic Sid Villa’s Music Hall. Along the way, his journey is full of twists and turns—but also serendipitous friendships that become his greatest treasures. “The Storyville Mosquito” comes to life through master puppeteers, real-time projection using live cameras, and genre-bending DJ sets. The puppets breathe and move to the rhythm of dreams, and every performance is entirely improvised and unrepeatable—just like every dreamer’s journey: small, yet beautifully irreplaceable.
When you think of your favorite film, chances are the first thing that comes to mind is its unforgettable music. A film’s score breathes life into its story—it is the soul beneath the visuals. Behind each moving melody lies an extraordinary level of artistry, craft, and emotional labor far beyond what we see (or hear) on screen. In conjunction with Hans Zimmer: The Sound of Hollywood, a special concert taking place at the Taipei Music Center from April 21 to 24, 2022, Giloo Documentaries presents a curated playlist celebrating the magic of film scores. Join us as we journey into the imaginative world of cinematic music.