The Special Screenings category of this year includes two renowned works from Taiwanese filmmakers Tsai Ming-liang and Hou Hsiao-hsien. These films, restored in 4K quality, will take viewers on a trip down memory lane to the enchanting stories that have become cult classics in Asian cinema.

Digital restoration is a method that enables festivals to reintroduce classic films to viewers, allowing them to reassess and reflect on them in light of the passage of time. This experience evokes a sense of the ever-changing world and how cinema evolves alongside it, adding to the emotional impact of the screenings.

Tsai Ming-liang’s film, “Goodbye, Dragon Inn,” not only pays homage to King Hu, whose retrospective is a highlight of this year’s festival, but also serves as a symbolic farewell to the golden age of classic wuxia movies that have stirred the emotions of Asian audiences for decades. This genre has made way for new narratives and different themes, such as those depicted in our second special screening, “Millennium Mambo.” Hou Hsiao-hsien’s movie, starring the iconic Shu Qi, is a bittersweet techno portrait of a generation whose turbulent transition into adulthood coincided with the tumultuous start of the new millennium.

The film “Goodbye, Dragon Inn” will have a screening followed by a meeting of the Pełna Sala Debate Film Club, which will focus on the film’s cult status and its connections to the works of King Hu.

Both movies will be accessible in theaters and on the internet.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn

Director Tsai Ming-liang’s film “Taiwan 2003” has a runtime of 82 minutes.

[cinema + online]

Filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang offers us the opportunity to attend the final showing at a once vibrant Taipei cinema, now abandoned and overlooked even by the local homeless population. On a somber, stormy evening, the theater is briefly restored to its former glory. The final film screened is a Taiwanese classic from the 1960s, “Dragon Inn” by King Hu. Adding to the poignancy of the event, the actors who starred in the masterpiece are also in attendance, watching with a profound sense of sorrow as if penning their own legacies. As the audience meanders through the seats and empty halls of the theater, memories of both on and off-screen characters come to life once again, frozen in time.

Millennium Mambo

Directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien, this film was released in Taiwan in 2001 and has a runtime of 119 minutes.

[cinema + online]

In 2011, the main character Vicky reflects on her past from ten years ago – her unhealthy relationships with the controlling Hao-hao, who caused her to drop out of school, and with Jack, who was involved in illegal activities and whom she followed to Japan. The director captures the vibrant and flashy lifestyle of Taipei’s youth, who spend their time partying in trendy clubs without much regard for their future. Vicky is lost among them, hopping from one man to another in search of her purpose in life.

“Millennium Mambo” is a testament to the filmmaker’s captivation with young people and the criminal subculture. Hou lures viewers in, mesmerizing them with the alluring ambiance of nightlife.

The Ministry of Culture Taiwan and the Taipei Representative Office in Poland are jointly funding the Special Screenings of Taiwanese classics.

Passes for the 17th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival can now be obtained!

The 17th installment of the festival will take place in a combination of both physical and virtual formats.

• During the dates of November 15 to December 3, 2023, there will be online events taking place throughout Poland.

• Showtimes: November 15-21, 2023
  Location: Warsaw, Kino Muranów, Kinoteka

There are two varieties of passes that you can choose from:

• The Five Flavours Cinema+Online Pass costs 350 PLN and allows entry to all film screenings (excluding the opening ceremony) at the festival’s theaters and access to all films on the festival’s video platform. The program will showcase a minimum of 37 full-length films. Please note that the number of passes available is limited.

• The Five Flavours Online Pass is available for purchase at 190 PLN and allows access to all films on the festival’s video platform. The online platform will feature a minimum of 27 films from the festival’s program. The number of available online passes is unlimited and they can also be bought during the festival.

BUY THE PASS

Individuals with the Five Flavours Cinema+Online Pass must reserve seats for cinema showings. Reservations can be made through an easy-to-use service, which can be accessed from any computer or mobile device with internet capabilities.

Starting October 26, once the festival’s complete schedule is revealed, you can purchase tickets for individual movie showings in theaters and for single access to the online platform.

You can find more information at piecsmakow.pl.