About the Event
Doc Films is pleased to partner with the University of Chicago Center for East Asian Studies, the Gene Siskel Film Center, and the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University to present the Chicago leg of Tsai Ming-Liang's 2022 U.S. tour.
Please join Doc at the Max Palevsky Cinema for the Chicago premiere screenings of Light (光) and Your Face (你的臉) to be followed by a panel discussion with director Tsai Ming-Liang and actor Lee Kang-Sheng and an audience Q&A moderated by University of Chicago Professor Paola Iovene.
For information about Tsai's tour in Chicago, please visit the Tsai 2020-2 website here.
Sponsored by Doc Films, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, the Ministry of Culture-Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago with generous support from a Title VI National Resource Center Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Program presented in partnership with the Gene Siskel Film Center and the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. Programmed with support from J. Michael Eugenio.
About Tsai Ming-Liang
Born in Malaysia in 1957, Tsai Ming-Liang is one of the most prominent film directors of the new cinema movement in Taiwan. In 1994, his film Vive L' amour was awarded the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, and this helped establish a place for him in the world of international film. In 2009, Face became the first film to be included in the collection of the Louvre Museum's “Le Louvre s'offre aux cineastes.” It has since become the benchmark for films venturing into the world of art galleries. In recent years, Tsai Ming-Liang has also moved on to installation art. His works have been well-received in Venice, Shanghai, and Nagoya. Since 2012, he has been working on a long project to film Lee Kang-Sheng's slow walk, cooperating with various cities and organizations. To date, he has completed seven short works. His 10th full-length feature Stray Dogs (2013) was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 70th Venice Film Festival. In 2014, he presented the critically acclaimed theater work The Monk from Tang Dynasty in arts festivals in Brussels, Vienna, Gwangju, and Taipei. That same year, Tsai made history by bringing Stray Dogs to the Museum at MoNTUE, the Museum of National Taipei University of Education.
Tickets
Thanks to your tremendous enthusiasm, we have sold out all of our online tickets! We will be selling a select number at the cinema starting one hour before the screening (at 5:00PM).
6:00PM October 1st
Light 光 (2018)
Tsai Ming-Liang · 18min · DCP
Light captures changes in the natural light streaming through Taipei's Zhongshan Hall. Zhongshan Hall has national significance as the site where Japanese forces in Taiwan formally surrendered at the end of WWII, ending 51 years of Japanese occupation. It also bears personal significance for Tsai: it is the place where he volunteered, won a filmmaking award, ran a café, held screenings of classic films, and shot his feature-length film Your Face.
Director’s Statement:
“The very first Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival was held here at Zhongshan Hall. During my university days, I volunteered as a ticket seller in order to watch films for free. Many years later, I received the top award at the Taipei Film Festival in an award ceremony held here as well. I have also run a coffeehouse here and often held small screenings of classic films during that time. Last year, I shot my film, Your Face, inside Guangfu Auditorium. The film was composed of thirteen big close-ups. Each of those thirteen faces was filled with the passage of time. Now, I am given a chance to film Zhongshan Hall again. I switched off all the lights and allowed the warm winter sun to shine on her face.”
6:00PM October 1st (following LIGHT)
Your Face 你的臉 (2018)
Tsai Ming-Liang · 76min · DCP
Your Face is composed of thirteen portraits of citizens of Taipei. Some remain silent while others offer life stories, confessions, and even a short tune. Twelve of the subjects were encountered by Tsai in the city streets, while the final subject is actor Lee Kang-Sheng, who has become a fixture of Tsai's filmography. Your Face explores the depth of lit faces, and the stories they convey. It is also Tsai's first scored film in over twenty years.
Director's Statements:
“As I searched the streets of Taipei for faces to film, some verses began to appear in my mind. I wrote them down:
There is some light, there is a story.
Your face tells of the passage of time and places you have journeyed.
In your eyes, there is a tinge of confusion and sadness.
There is some light, there is a story.
Your face tells of love and the places it hides in.
In your eyes, there is a sparkle and some darkness.
This is the meaning of the film.”
“Last year, I made a VR film. Since it was VR, there was no composition in the traditional sense and no close-ups as well. After I made the film, I had a sudden desire to film close-up shots. I decided to make a film made up of only close-ups. Hsiao-kang will be in it, of course, together with a few others. So, I went out to the streets in search of the faces I wanted. In two months, I found more than ten of them.
One after another, I lit them with extra attention, as if they were cinematic compositions.
Not long after, I met Ryuichi Sakamoto by chance at the beach in Venice. After I pieced together those big close-ups that I had filmed, I wrote him a letter and asked if he'd have a look at it. He agreed. One month later, he sent me some audio files. I couldn't be sure what exactly I heard. Sakamoto told me politely that I could use it in any way I wanted. Or I could simply ignore it. I was thrilled by it. It felt like an adventure. After more than twenty years, I finally made a film with a musical score.”
Credits for Light
Director: TSAI MING-LIANG
Producer: CLAUDE WANG
Line Producer: TUNG NIEH
Cinematographer: CHANG JHONG-YUAN
Camera Assistant: LEUNG WEI
Film Editor: CHANG JHONG-YUAN
Calligraphy: LEE KANG-SHENG
Camera Equipment: LENSBANK
Lighting Equipment: HEKUAN EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
Production Company: HOMEGREEN FILMS
Presented by: HOMEGREEN FILMS, TAIPEI ZHONGSHAN HALL
Cast for Your Face
HUANG HSUEH-FENG
HSU LIN YU-JUNG
LEE LIU CHIN-HUA
CHIANG SHIH-HUI
CHEN SU-LI
LIN WAN-FU
LIN CHIN-TA
CHUANG YU-CHANG
YEH CHING-FANG
HO SHU-LI
MA TUNG-PO
LEE KANG-SHENG
Credits for Your Face
Director: TSAI MING-LIANG
Executive Producers: TSAI MING-LIANG, JESSIE SHIH
Producer: CLAUDE WANG
Music Composer: RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
Cinematographer: IAN KU
Sound Designer: DENNIS TSAO
Line Producer: TUNG NIEH
Sound Recordists: LEE YU-CHIH, MINSHI WANG, TERRY LIN
Film Editor: CHANG JHONG-YUAN
Still Photographer: CHANG JHONG-YUAN
Calligraphy: LEE KANG-SHENG
English Translator: ONG CHAO-HONG
Italian Translator: TOBIA MASCHIO
Graphic Designer: ROGER, CHUANG CHI-HUAN
Post-Production: TAIPEI POSTPRODUCTION
Audio Post-Production: FORGOOD SOUND
Camera Equipment: HEKUAN EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
Lighting Equipment: HEKUAN EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.
Produced by: HOMEGREEN FILMS
Presented by: HOMEGREEN FILMS, TAIWAN PUBLIC TELEVISION SERVICE FOUNDATION
The Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago (CEAS) serves as an interdisciplinary nexus and clearinghouse for East Asian studies and an important resource for faculty and students across the University. CEAS supports academic activities, research, outreach, and public events to promote greater understanding of China, Japan and Korea. CEAS has been designated a National Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information and to sign up for our weekly e-Bulletin, please visit their webpage or contact eastasia@uchicago.edu.
The Ministry of Culture-Taipei Cultural Center in New York is primarily responsible for planning, promoting, and implementing a variety of arts activities, as well as supervising the operation of Taipei Gallery and Taipei Theater. The Cultural Center has played a significant role in enhancing Taiwan's cultural image and promoting international cultural exchanges. To cope with the new trend of global cultural competition, the Taipei Cultural Center, expanding beyond just New York City, has been actively bringing Taiwan's cultures to North America. The Taipei Cultural Center provided generous funding for Tsai Ming-Liang's visit. For more information, please visit their webpage.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago (TECO in Chicago) provides consular services, news about Taiwan, economics/trade and cultural information. TECO in Chicago's jurisdiction include seven states in the Midwest which are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. There are multiple divisions providing services in TECO in Chicago which include the Consular Division, Education Division, Economic Division, Press Division, and the Cultural Center of TECO. For more information, please visit their webpage.
