1983's 'The Sandwich Man' opens Taiwanese film festival in Lithuania

Vilnius, Feb. 10 (CNA) The seventh Taiwan on Screen film festival opened in Lithuania on Sunday with a screening of "The Sandwich Man" (兒子的大玩偶), a landmark work of the 1980s Taiwanese New Cinema movement.

In a news release, the Vilnius-based Asian Arts Centre said the festival aims to introduce Lithuanian audiences to Taiwan's diverse cultural expressions through films ranging from magical realism to social realism, while exploring family relationships and identity.

According to the center, this year's program includes eight films spanning a range of genres, periods and perspectives.

Other films being shown include "Eel" (河鰻), "My Missing Valentine" (消失的情人節), "Small Talk" (日常對話), "Family Matters" (我家的事) and "Jump Ashin!" (翻滾吧!阿信).

In addition to more recent productions, the festival will also screen 1985's "Taipei Story (青梅竹馬)," directed by Edward Yang (楊德昌) and starring "The Sandwich Man" co-director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢).

Chris Berry, professor of Film Studies at King's College London, has been invited to give film appreciation talks at screening sessions in Vilnius, the center said.

Director Tsao Shih-han (曹仕翰), whose film "Before the Bright Day" (南方時光) recently won two awards at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (VIFFAC) in France, traveled to Lithuania to attend the event in person.

Tsao will take part in two post-screening discussions to share his creative process with audiences.

The festival, which is supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (MOC) and the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania, runs through Feb. 16, with screenings in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda.