'A Chip Odyssey' premieres in U.S. East Coast in New York

New York, Nov. 9 (CNA) A documentary tracing the development of Taiwan's semiconductor industry over the past five decades received its United States East Coast premiere on Saturday at New York's Regal Theater in Times Square.

The film, "A Chip Odyssey" (造山者--世紀的賭注), is Taiwan's first documentary spotlighting its world-leading semiconductor industry and chronicled Taiwan's rise from underdog to becoming the central hub of the global chip supply chain over the past five decades.

Its Chinese title, "Mountain Builders," was derived from the film's intention to "deliver the spirit of the mountain builders" -- those who have helped propel the nation's semiconductor ascent, the film's director, Hsiao Chu-chen (蕭菊貞), told CNA in June this year.

Another reason for the title is Taiwan's affectionate nickname for semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), "The Mountain that Guards the Nation."

As to the English title, Hsiao had told CNA that she named it "Odyssey" after drawing inspiration from the ancient Greek epic about a hero's long and arduous journey home -- a path filled with challenges, much like Taiwan's journey in developing its semiconductor industry.

The film tells the story of how Taiwan's semiconductor industry started from scratch 50 years ago to become indispensable to the world today.

The documentary was made at a pivotal moment in history as Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing comes under the global spotlight amid increasingly volatile geopolitics, producer Ben Tsiang (蔣顯斌) said, adding that it was an impossible mission made possible by pioneers across generations.

In addition, the film also spotlighted those who first spearheaded Taiwan's transition from an electronics-manufacturing nation to a semiconductor giant.

The East Coast premiere followed the documentary's West Coast screening at Stanford University and the University of California Los Angeles in California, as well as in cities like San Francisco in the same state and the city of Phoenix in Arizona.

Other than Hsiao and Tsiang, the film's other producer, Ben Chen (陳添順), and Chang Li-shan (張麗賢), deputy director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, also attended the East Coast premiere, as did many New York-residing Taiwanese expats and residents.

Honoring the pioneers

At the post screening symposium, Hsiao shared that many first-gen tech engineers who the film interviewed expressed hope the film will inform the wider public not only about TSMC, but also many other people and companies who came before but are now all but forgotten.

Hsiao said that those companies and people were truly the "mountain builders" of Taiwan, as many of them chose to stay in the country during a time of emigration after the Republic of China (Taiwan) withdrew from the United Nations in 1971, while a number even returned to Taiwan from abroad.

"A seed planted then has bloomed into an entire forest," Hsiao said of the contributions of the pioneers. "Some have even brought the successful experiences to America, making this a very moving journey."

On making the documentary, Tsiang, CEO of CNEX Studio Corp. -- a non-profit organization dedicated to making and promoting Chinese-language documentaries -- said that the team behind the movie wanted to make a historical documentary before changes in the world prompted them to blend history with modern geopolitics.

From 2019-2025, unexpected global developments unfolded, including the COVID-19 pandemic, TSMC surpassing Intel Corp. in chip manufacturing dominance, the rise of artificial intelligence and the escalating U.S.-China trade war were such elements that resulted in the change in direction.

Currently, with U.S. President Donald Trump's return to office, the world now faces a myriad of tariffs imposed on all trade partners, affecting Taiwan, he said, further elaborating on the direction of the documentary.

Tsiang went on to add that the documentary's production was like a race against time, as the team would get the chance to interview pioneers only to learn of their passing soon after recording their stories.

As such, Tsiang said the documentary not only honored the past but also addressed questions for the future.

"A Chip Odyssey" will next be screened in colleges such as New York's Columbia University before being shown across Europe.