We continue with our list of films that you shouldn’t miss at the 57th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, which will take place from November 5th – 22nd (2020) in Taipei, Taiwan.

About the festival:
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (TGHFF) is the largest film festival in Taiwan. Starting in 1980 as a non-competitive showcase, TGHFF aims at introducing prominent cinema from around the world, in order to promote cinema as an art form and to enhance intercultural understanding through cinema.

Critically acclaimed filmmakers who have visited TGHFF throughout the years include Abbas Kiarostami, Hal Hartley, Atom Egoyan, Olivier Assayas, François Ozon, Theo Angelopoulos, Krzysztof Zanussi, Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne, Nicolas Winding Refn, Cristian Mungiu, Denis Villeneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Leos Carax. Renowned Asian filmmakers such as Nagisa Oshima, Morita Yoshimitsu, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Yasmin Ahmad, Shunji Iwai, Kim Ki-duk, Lee Chang-dong, Hirokazu Koreeda, Brillante Mendoza, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul also have attended the festival.

Selected Films:

61-year-old Obok runs a seafood store in a fish market. One day she has her first meeting with her daughter Inae’s future parents-in-law. That night, she is raped by Gitaek. At first, Obok pretends that nothing has happened and tries to go about her life as usual. A while later, she tells Inae about the rape. The police calls in Gitaek to investigate, and the story of the incident begins to spread around the market. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 16th, 2020 (Monday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 15 | 21:50 pm
November 17th, 2020 (Tuesday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 15 | 19:30 pm
November 19th, 2020 (Thursday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 15 | 15:10 pm

Trailer:

Young Sancaka has been living on the street ever since his parents deceased. Facing a tough world, Sancaka learned to care only about himself and not of anyone else, with continuous struggle in finding his own haven. When the city he lives in is rampant with injustice spreading throughout the country, Sancaka has to make life’s pivotal decision: remain in his safe zone or come out as Gundala to defend the oppressed. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 7th, 2020 (Saturday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 18:50 pm
November 13th, 2020 (Friday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 13 | 14:00 pm
November 16th, 2020 (Monday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 16:10 pm

Trailer:

Chungking Mansions is regarded as a nest of crime in Hong Kong by many, but some embrace it as a safe haven. A retired British Chinese soldier, a young South Asian man, an encounter at Chungking Mansions. Coincidentally, they both offend the same gang boss. Here is a story of what has given them a new lease of life and how they rediscover themselves through each other’s company. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 19th, 2020 (Thursday) | MUVIE TITAN | 18:30 pm (Q&A)
November 19th, 2020 (Thursday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 12 | 18:30 pm
November 20th, 2020 (Friday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 22:10 pm

Trailer:

In a fishing village lives a creature with the body of a pig, the nose of an elephant, the ears of a horse and feet like a rhinoceros; it sneaks into the village and devours the nightmares! Ah Keat looks forward to the day when he can see the creature for himself. One day, when Ah Keat’s father passes away in an accident at sea, he sets off in search of the creature, hoping that it can help him find his father… (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 17th, 2020 (Tuesday) | MUVIE TITAN | 18:40 pm (Q&A)
November 18th, 2020 (Wednesday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 21:20 pm

Trailer:

An ordinary family of four. One day the son goes missing after a body is found in the boot of a car involved in an accident. Three people are missing; two escape from the scene while the third person’s situation is unknown. The father cannot accept that their son might be a murderer but the mother hopes he will survive even if he is the murderer. The two competing “hopes” cause dissonance in the family. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 10th, 2020 (Tuesday) | MUVIE TITAN | 18:30 pm (Q&A)
November 12th, 2020 (Thursday) | MUVIE TITAN | 16:30 pm

Trailer:

Po-ching is an OCD patient and his quirkiness makes people regard him as a weirdo. One day, he meets another weirdo Chen Ching. It’s fate that brings them together. Their relationship is spotless and perfect. But everything becomes different when Po-ching suddenly stops having OCD. In the world of love, we are each other’s weirdos. When love is gone, I’m no longer attracted to your quirkiness. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 6th, 2020 (Friday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 15 | 16:20 pm
November 8th, 2020 (Sunday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 15 | 19:00 pm (Q&A)

Trailer:

One of Hong Kong’s most influential filmmakers, Ann Hui, becomes a “star” in Keep Rolling, Man Lim-chung’s directorial debut. A forerunner of the New Wave, Hui’s tumultuous, forty-year career is a testimony to her unyielding dedication to filmmaking. This biopic probes into the acclaimed director’s idiosyncratic world, where we witness her rashness and goofiness, as well as her humanistic concerns for the everyday nobodies which make her films so moving. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 9th, 2020 (Monday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 19:10 pm
November 18th, 2020 (Wednesday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 13 | 20:40 pm (Q&A)
November 20th, 2020 (Friday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 17:10 pm

Trailer:

On Shoying’s 70th birthday, she learns that her long-lost husband Bochang has died. The worse is that there is another woman Tsai, who stayed by Bochang till his last breath. A merry reunion turns into a wake, an unfortunately perfect time for the family to face their complicated mother-daughter relationships. Shoying decides to find out who Tsai is. Will Shoying get the closure she has longed for all her life? (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 14th, 2020 (Saturday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 14 | 19:00 pm (Q&A)
November 16th, 2020 (Monday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 17 | 16:30 pm

Trailer:

After her parents’ sudden death, Naomi moves into a high-rise condo with her beloved cat and begins a love affair with Morinori, a television celebrity. While Naomi is seeking immediate affection, her cat dies. On the brink of nervous breakdown, Naomi embarks on a self-healing journey thanks to the love and support of her uncle, aunt and friends. This is a story about loss and new beginnings. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 14th, 2020 (Saturday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 12 | 16:50 pm
November 16th, 2020 (Monday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 12 | 21:20 pm
November 18th, 2020 (Wednesday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 12 | 16:00 pm

Trailer:

Lost Course chronicles a grassroots democratic movement in the southern Chinese village of Wukan. The villagers protest against the corrupt local officials before ousting them and organising elections of their own. However, after taking control of their destiny, the villagers find themselves beset by the same corruption and cynicism endemic. Following three main characters, Li reveals the complexities of their struggles, triumphs and setbacks from the inside. (TGHFF 2020)

Screening Date:
November 14th, 2020 (Saturday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 12 | 13:20 pm
November 19th, 2020 (Thursday) | Vie Show Taipei Hsin Yi 13 | 12:10 pm (Q&A)

Trailer:

To see the 1st part of this publication, go here: PART 1

For more information about the festival and the programme please visit the official website here: https://www.goldenhorse.org.tw/film/about/overview