Screening tour featuring 21 films by Tsai Ming-liang kicks off in U.S.

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) A North American screening tour featuring some of director Tsai Ming-liang's (蔡明亮) most acclaimed films is set to open in the United States Wednesday.

From August 6-31, Tsai and longtime collaborator, actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生), will visit Los Angeles, Austin, San Francisco, and Mexico City, presenting 21 of Tsai's most influential works across 30 screenings and 18 post-screening discussions, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (MOC) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The tour, jointly organized by Taiwan Academies in Los Angeles and Houston, is centered around two curatorial themes: Tsai's classic narrative films and his Walker series, and connects with leading art house cinemas and film institutions across North America.

Participating venues include American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, Austin Film Society Cinema in Texas, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in San Francisco, and Cineteca Nacional in Mexico City.

American Cinematheque's Tsai Ming-liang retrospective last year was well received, the MOC said. This year, in collaboration with Cineteca Nacional, the two institutions are spotlighting his Walker series, it said.

Meanwhile, Austin Film Society Cinema and the Austin Asian American Film Festival are introducing Tsai's works for the first time through a special program titled "Time Passes: Thirty-Five Years with Tsai Ming-liang", featuring "Abiding Nowhere" (無所住), "Days" (日子), "What Time Is It There?" (你那邊幾點), as well as Tsai's early television work "Boys" (小孩) and the documentary "Autumn Days" (秋日).

At the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, eight of Tsai's films will be screened, with King Hu's (胡金銓) "Dragon Inn" (龍門客棧) -- a film Tsai pays tribute to in "Goodbye, Dragon Inn" (不散) -- screened as an opening feature.

Renowned for his experimental approach and poetic aesthetic, Tsai is a leading figure in Taiwan's Second New Wave cinema, the MOC said. His films have been repeatedly recognized at major international festivals including Venice, Berlin and Cannes, it said.

The screening tour not only promotes essential Taiwanese art-house films in the U.S. and Mexico, but also continues the rich cultural dialogue between Taiwanese cinema and the diverse cultures of North America, the MOC said.