International Premiere | In Competition
Taiwan, 2023, 116’, Mandarin, Taiwanese, English
Directed by: Chong Keat Aun, Norris Wong, Joseph Chen, Liu Chuan-hui, Pawo Choyning Dorji, Yin Chen-hao, Rachid Hami, Remii Huang, Lee Sinje
Screenplay: Chong Keat Aun, Norris Wong, Cheung Gee-yin, Joseph Chen, Phil Huang, Pawo Choyning Dorji, Francesca Lin, Yin Chen-hao, Rachid Hami, Ollivier Pourriol, Remii Huang, Lee Sinje
Cinematography (color): Ling Lee, Yu Jing-pin, Zhang Zhih-teng, Liu Chuan-hui, John Cheng, Hsia Shao-yu, Jigme Tsewang Tenzing, Lin Tzu-yao, Romain Lacourbas, Pan Hsin-you, Giorgos Valsamis, Chen Ko-chin
Editing: Wenders Li
Production Design: Wen Shao-han, Yao Yuan-fen, Julie Chen, Shadow Huang, Bobby Wang, Chen Hsuan-shao, Johnny Chen, Penny Tsai, Cheng Cheng-chia
Music: George Chen, Annie Lo
Producers: Amy Ma, Bowie Tsang
Cast: Lee Sinje (Kimlan), Yao Kuo (Amy), Tsai Chen-nan (Michael’s father), Stephy Tang (Wing), Sammi Cheng (Bai), Liu Kuan-ting (Xu), SHOU (17), Julia Wu (Julia), Caitlin Fang (Elise), Lin Ju (XueWen), Chang Chen (A-Yi), Ronald Cheng (Liu), Karim Leklou (Adan), Sandrine Pinna (Claire), 9m88 (Yi-Qi), Berant Zhu (Ken), Karena Lam (Yu), Ethan Ruan (Yuan), Wu Bai (Jerry)
Date of First Release in Territory: TBA
Before the law of diminishing returns set in, I was a fan of the Cities of Love film series. I was intrigued by seeing famous filmmakers offer their own takes on different global metropoles. The series fizzled out before it got a chance to tackle an Asian city, but there have been plenty of other omnibus films – like Tokyo!, the Golden Horse festival-backed 10+10, Taipei Factory and the Ten Years series – to fill the void.
The brainchild of producers Bowie Tsang and Amy Ma, Tales of Taipei feels like the unofficial Taipei entry of the Cities of Love series. Like the other entries in that series, it’s an omnibus film featuring vignettes about all forms of love in a single city. Directed by promising young filmmakers from Taiwan and beyond, the episodes were shot separately, then seamlessly stitched together by Hong Kong’s Wenders Li.
Like most omnibus films, Tales of Taipei hops from genre to genre, which means it really does have a little something for everyone. For those looking for more traditional romances, there are three meet-cute stories: Liu Chuan-hui’s Let Me Be Your Baby, featuring pop stars SHOU and Julia Wu as two down-on-their-luck musicians who meet in a betel nut stand; Remii Huang’s Hold My Beer, about a humorous encounter between two young clubbers who may or may not have met before (pop star 9m88 and Bad Education’s Berant Zhu); and Man in Love director Yin Chen-hao’s The Good Fortune, about an adorable and possibly romantic encounter between an expat from Hong Kong (Ronald Cheng) and a gambler (Chang Chen).
For those looking for more off-kilter romances, Midsummer Serpent by Joseph Chen (Little Big Women) offers an unusual love story that cleverly brings the ancient Chinese legend of the White Snake to a modern setting. For her directorial debut, actress Lee Sinje offers Breeder, a stylistic mood piece about a woman (Karena Lam) caught between an old flame and a new love. Lee is also the star of the opening short Farewell, My Tamsui by Chong Keat Aun (Snow in Midsummer), about a Southeast Asian woman who bids a heartbreaking farewell to her late Taiwanese husband.
There are also stories of familial love: Norris Wong’s pseudo-autobiographical Papa in Law sees My Prince Edward star Stephy Tang in a sweet short film about a Hong Kong woman who bonds with her Taiwanese boyfriend’s father while taking him to get his Covid vaccine. Nepal’s Pawo Choyning Dorji (The Monk and the Gun) also shows a moving bonding moment between a teenage girl (American Girl’s Caitlin Fang) and her grandfather in Good Luck to You. Fang’s character also appears briefly in Rachid Hami’s The Imaginary Child, about how an unexpected pregnancy threatens a relationship between a Frenchman (Karim Leklou) and a single mother (Sandrine Pinna).
Finally, the film ends with Paper Round, a strange tale of a deliveryman (rock star Wu Bai) of a soon-to-be-shuttered newspaper who has a supernatural encounter in an abandoned building.
The limitations of the omnibus format may mean that filmmakers have very little time to leave a deep impression, but Tales of Taipei nevertheless offers a fascinating showcase of promising filmmakers and marquee stars who are willing to spend a few days in roles that are out of their comfort zones. All in all, Tales of Taipei is a lot of fun, and a great illustration of the diverse voices that Taiwan cinema embraces today.
GUESTS
Amy MA, produttore
Bowie TSANG, produttore
Chong Keat Aun
FILMOGRAPHY
2020 – The Story of Southern Islet
2023 – Snow in Midsummer
Norris Wong
FILMOGRAPHY
2019 – My Prince Edward
2024 – The Lyricist Wannabe
Joseph Chen
FILMOGRAPHY
2020 – Little Big Women
Liu Chuan-hui
FILMOGRAPHY
2011 – Jump! Ashin
2012 – Tai Chi
Pawo Choyning Dorji
FILMOGRAPHY
2019 – Lunana: A Yak in the
Classroom
Yin Chen-hao
FILMOGRAPHY
2021 – Man in Love
Rachid Hami
FILMOGRAPHY
2017 – La Mélodie
2023 – Pour la France
Remii Huang
FILMOGRAPHY
2023 – At the Moment
2024 – Let’s Talk About Chu
Lee Sinje
FILMOGRAPHY
2004 – The Eye, 20 30 40
2020 – The Garden of Evening
Mist