From the 1980s until the 1990s, New Taiwanese Cinema gained international attention for adopting a completely different approach to that of the commercial films that had preceded it. This piece, which previously appeared on Fuji Television's documentary program NONFIX, contrasts Hou Hsiao-Hsien (1947- ) and Edward Yang (1947-2007), two rivals who were the driving force behind New Taiwanese Cinema. We see a Hou Hsiao-Hsien who was willing to wait indefinitely to get the right kind of light, and Edward Yang's logical and organic approach to directing both his staff and his actors. The contrast between the two directors casts the history of Taiwan into relief. The closing of a cinema invites us to reflect on society and the passage of history.
—YIDFF 2015