Webinar: Taiwanese-Language Films during the Cold War

A discussion with Chris Berry, professor of film studies at King’s College London and director of the Taiwanese-language Film Festival

Professor Chris Berry will join us for a Webinar discussion on Feb 27, 2021 at 2pm (Central Standard Time) in conjunction with our Taiwanese-language film festival when EALC showcases two Taiwanese-language films: Six Suspects and The Best Secret Agent. Over 1000 Taiwanese-language films were made between the 1950s and 1970s, but only about 200 survive. It was not until recently that these films were archived, restored, and made available to English-speaking audience, thanks to the Taiwan Film Institute. Despite the restricted budget, Taiwanese-language films are imbued with creative energy and savvy perspectives on Taiwan society. Professor Berry will guide us through the production history and culture of this unique group of films, and discuss the spy/detective genre in relation to the Cold War background, followed by a Q&A session.

Chris Berry is professor of film studies at King’s College London. His academic research is grounded in work on Sinitic-language cinemas and other Sinitic-language screen-based media, as well as work from neighboring countries. Books written and edited include: Cinema and the National: China on Screen; Postsocialist Cinema in Post-Mao China: the Cultural Revolution after the Cultural Revolution; Chinese Film Festivals: Sites of Translation; Public Space, Media Space; The New Chinese Documentary Film Movement; Electronic Elsewheres: Media, Technology, and Social Space; and Island on the Edge: Taiwan New Cinema and After. In 2017, together with colleagues, he launched the “Taiwan’s Lost Commercial Cinema: Recovered and Restored” project about Taiwanese-language cinema, and in 2020 co-edited a special issue of Journal of Chinese Cinemas on the topic.

Registration is required to attend the Webinar. Once registered you will receive the link for the webinar. (Webinar registration is separate from registration for the Taiwan film links.)

Event is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures; Taiwan Ministry of Education; King's College London; Ministry of Culture, Taiwan; Taiwan Film Institute.