2022
Golden Horse Awards
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No matter where you are, not just in Taiwan, international movie fans can easily watch too! The first wave of films from emerging creators are now live in our international section. Featuring top selections from prestigious film festivals like Golden Horse Awards and Golden Harvest Awards, as well as many highly anticipated emerging works for you to explore anytime, anywhere!
“If a person stays in a place long enough, part of their soul will remain there.” These words, spoken by the protagonist of my documentary, not only profoundly shaped the way I see my hometown and the places where I grew up, but also became a kind of revelation. I used to fear that these places would become unfamiliar, or even disappear entirely. Yet this sentence taught me how to look gently at disappearance and loss. The films in this program gaze upon living, breathing lives, observing how each person leaves a part of their soul in the places where they have lived, wandered, or stayed.
In response to the partial reopening during the 2021 pandemic, the Kaohsiung Film Archive launched the “K Series” project—a collection of ultra-short films titled with the letter “K.” The “K” stands for both Kaohsiung and the spirit of “K.O.”—knocking out all restrictions and limitations brought by the pandemic. Shot entirely in Kaohsiung and produced in less than two months, these short films overcame countless obstacles during the COVID era. Each bite-sized story bursts with creative power, reflecting the life struggles five emerging directors sought to break through—be it the fading traces of the old city, familial bonds in a movie theater, generational conflict between mother and daughter, the desolate search for queer desire in an apocalyptic world, or the vicious cycle of gossip and rumors in the internet age. With each story shaped by a distinct directorial voice, the “K Series” showcases the boundless creative possibilities that emerged in the shadow of a global crisis.
An elderly political prisoner battling Alzheimer’s, a ghostwriter who starts a martial arts film company after release, a teenage boy drifting between virtual networks and real life, an old woman singlehandedly raising her intellectually disabled son, a directionally challenged writer carrying 37 keys, a father whose voice is ignored both in life and death, and a banyan tree that has silently witnessed decades of neighborhood change. How do they confront the challenges and setbacks brought by society? Continuing the acclaim of the previous three editions, Giloo now presents the fourth wave of its “Taiwan Shorts Knockout” series—seven powerful short films that delve into the everyday struggles and stories unfolding in Taiwanese society.
To feel indifferent to history is to feel indifferent to Taiwan. The year 2014 was a time of great upheaval in Taiwan—a year of radical change and explosive thought. For many, it was a moment to reexamine their relationship with this land and to delve deeper into the essence of what Taiwan truly is. It was also the year that Taiwan Bar and The Story were born. The right to speak for ourselves is something generations of Taiwanese people have long pursued. We hope to leave behind a work that is open to everyone—not just something for this generation, but a legacy passed from us to the next, and then on to many generations to come. Support the “New Taiwan History Movement” and help bear witness to Taiwan’s history!
Perhaps it’s because I grew up in a crowded, complex city that I’ve always been drawn to films set in urban landscapes. The dense weave of skyscrapers and winding streets has a certain allure, holding countless souls and stories within. I like to quietly observe these passing lives—moments of movement, waiting, and everyday fragments. It’s not just about seeing the world, but about finding, within these intersecting paths, a version of myself I once knew.