Screening on
Sun 12 Jan 18:00
at Close-up cinema
Experiments From the 60s Avant-Garde in Taiwan and Hong Kong
In the 1960s, there emerged an alternative cinephilia across Taiwan and Hong Kong, influenced by the New Wave films in the West, the DIY practices of film clubs, and a dynamic experimentalism among the leftist youth. Based on the historical documents from various student publications, conversations with directors, and other historical documents, Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival sought out various independent avant-garde films made during that period, from filmmakers like Richard Chen Yao-chi who started out making experimental films in the early 1960s before becoming famous for his renowned feature youth romance films in Taiwan, to the experiments of Law Kar, a film critic and filmmaker heavily involved in the University film clubs rife with experimentation in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s.
Under the unique circumstances at that time, these films might reflect the reality of the era in some way, and we hope that the rediscovery and revival of these works would provide us with extra materials and allow us to conduct a conversation with the 1960s, a period known for its modern, avant-garde and experimental spirit.
Presented in collaboration with Taiwan Independent Documentary Festival. With special thanks to Jessie Yang / 楊子暄 (TIDF), and to Wanying Tsai/ 蔡宛穎 (Taiwan Film Archive).
Runtime: 88min
Modern Poetry Exhibition 1966 / 現代詩展 1966
Dir. CHANG Chao-tang 張照堂 | Taiwan | 1966 | 12’
Artists contributing to the 1966 Modern Poetry Exhibition included HUANG Hua-cheng, LONG Sih-liang, HUANG Yong-song, and CHANG Chao-tang; each artist chose their favorite modern poems and transformed them into imagery. This film is a time capsule capturing some of the exhibits, as well as the young artists.
Getting Ready for the Festival 過節
Dir. LONG Sih-liang 龍思良 | Taiwan | 1967 | 5’
In these freckled, disjointed montages of everyday life, we see a faint hint of an upcoming festival as the theatre troupe sound its drums; the children either sit and gaze, or clamber to see the lead actress. This 8mm roll of film was found after LONG Sih-liang passed away in 2012 and is now shown for the first time in 51 years.
Routine 全線
Dir. Law Kar 羅卡 | Hong Kong | 1969 | 19’
This film documents a short trip from Star Ferry’s taxi stand to the office of Chinese Student Weekly in Kowloon Tong. It shows the street scenes of Hong Kong in 1968 and the state of mind of a Hong Kong young man after the 1967 Riot.
Alienation 疏離
Dir. CHIU Kang-chien 邱剛健 | Taiwan | 1966 | 6’
Caterpillar crawling on the wall, a seemingly masturbating naked man, a weird car accident, poetic captions, ending with 11 stills of people posing like crucifixion. Rumour has it that a priest in Cardinal Tien Cultural Centre concerned about the image of masturbation and cancelled the participation of this film in the 1966 “Theatre Quarterly’s” film exhibition. The stills, script and notes, however, were published in the fifth edition of Theatre Quarterly and thus became a legend. This is the first time that the film will be screened after it has been considered lost for 52 years.
Liu Pi-chia劉必稼
Dir. Richard Yao-chi CHEN 陳耀圻 | Taiwan | 1967 | 27’
Featuring a middle-aged veteran living in Hualien County, the film is a realistic and powerful portrayal of his simple daily life. It is a film about ordinary people at an unordinary historical moment. The power of the film resides in its attempt to represent the subjects the way they are and to leave the task of interpretation to the viewers.
The Mountain上山
Dir. Richard Yao-chi CHEN 陳耀圻 | Taiwan | 1966 | 19’
The director follows three art college students HUANG Yong-song, MOU Tun-fei, and HUANG Gui-rong as they enjoy an excursion into the mountains. As the song California Dreamin’ plays, the three talk about their artistic ideals, how only KMT party members were eligible for scholarships, and their view on the Vietnam War.
ENG copy by Cici Peng
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Modern Poetry Exhibition 1966 / 現代詩展 1966
Dir. CHANG Chao-tang 張照堂 | Taiwan | 1966 | 12’
60年代海峽兩岸思潮交鋒正酣，現實主義對戰健康寫實，解放統一與莊敬自強同響。黃華成、龍思良、黃永松、張照堂等人自策展覽，將文字轉譯為視覺創作。該展覽幾經周折，終得在台大學生活動中心草坪上成形。詩、畫、影在8毫米膠片上互動相通。詩的自由潛能，由此開啓過往恰同學少年的神貌風態。
Getting Ready for the Festival 過節
Dir. LONG Sih-liang 龍思良 | Taiwan | 1967 | 5’
節前打扮，剃頭修腳，世情風俗特寫。花旦亮相，鑼鼓開場，好男好女用新樣貌迎接再次歸來的時間。無聲的紀錄，顯影舊時光。
Routine 全線
Dir. Law Kar 羅卡 | Hong Kong | 1969 | 19’
屬於香港的城市小交響。拉威爾《波萊羅舞曲》一直奏，的士一直開。自天星碼頭，過尖沙咀，經彌敦道，至九龍塘。車走走停停，乘客是長著電影眼的現代芭蕾舞者，循律而動，不做選擇地覽觀六七暴動後的香港。鋪頭照開，生意照做，日子照過。街上行人不絕，路上車馬流龍。獅子山下，太多太多，一瞥即別。人同城，皆為影的模糊。落車畀錢，抵達《中國學生周報》社館。九龍城用「實驗電影展」海報向攝影機道再見。
Alienation 疏離
Dir. CHIU Kang-chien 邱剛健 | Taiwan | 1966 | 6’
碾死牆上一隻蠕蟲。慾望在流淌。少年的身體，感受日神的召喚。手，在人與上帝之間。眼、耳、鼻、舌、心、意，在正午遭遇車禍，分別死亡。諸神歸位。諸神黃昏。我們張開雙臂，擁不到那眾人的父，更抱不住自己。疏離，是牆上被獻祭的夢里春曉。
Liu Pi-chia劉必稼
Dir. Richard Yao-chi CHEN 陳耀圻 | Taiwan | 1967 | 27’
台灣真實電影的開山之作。一問一答，一中一英，勾勒退伍老兵劉必稼的離散半生。從湖南，到越南，最終落腳台灣。劉必稼在花蓮豐田大壩的修建工地上，滿是為建設作貢獻的愛國豪情。列車隆隆開去，他回不去的家，一如千百同儕的舊鄉，隱淹於河灘群山，不可得見。
The Mountain上山
Dir. Richard Yao-chi CHEN 陳耀圻 | Taiwan | 1966 | 19’
真實影像里，三個電影青年訪山問禪。家國在雲海遒松之外，紀錄影像在風景中重新發現。求學的悵惘，自由的抒發，未來的捉摸不定，歸於密叢中頓開的林間空地。上山，上山，去默談加州的夢。
Chinese copy by Yijiao Guo 郭一骄