French film critic helped bring Taiwan New Cinema to world: Minister

Paris, Sept. 13 (CNA) Taiwan's Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) said Saturday at a seminar in Paris that a landmark article written in the 1980s by French filmmaker and critic Olivier Assayas played a pivotal role in introducing Taiwan New Cinema to the Western world at a critical moment.

Li made the remarks during a post-screening discussion of Taiwanese director Edward Yang's 1986 classic The Terrorizers, which Li co-wrote with Yang, at the L'Entrepôt cultural space.

The event, part of a retrospective on Taiwan New Cinema, a film movement that emerged in the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the 1980s, featured Assayas and French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon.

Li recalled hosting Assayas in Taipei in 1984 when the latter was a young film critic writing for Cahiers du Cinéma. Over two days, Assayas watched eight Taiwanese films, with Li explaining their plots because they lacked English subtitles.

After returning to France, Assayas published an influential article titled "In the Margin of World Cinema," introducing a new generation of Taiwanese filmmakers to European audiences.

The article came at a crucial time, when Taiwan New Cinema was struggling under martial law and facing criticism at home, Li said.

If it hadn't been for that far-reaching article, Taiwan New Cinema might not have survived, Li noted, adding that Assayas' writing helped pave the way for Taiwanese films to gain recognition at major European film festivals.

Assayas said few international film enthusiasts knew about Taiwanese cinema at the time, but a recommendation from film critic Chen Kuo-fu (陳國富) prompted him to visit Taiwan, where he met filmmakers including Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉) and cinematographer Christopher Doyle (杜可風).

Assayas said he was deeply impressed at the time, adding that Taiwan New Cinema went on to have a profound impact not only on Chinese-language cinema but also on world cinema.

Filmmakers' willingness to experiment under political constraints later produced landmark works such as "A Brighter Summer Day" and "A City of Sadness," which explored previously untold chapters, he added.

While working at Central Motion Picture Corp. in the 1980s, Li noted that he and his colleagues sought to reexamine Taiwan through film and introduce Taiwanese cinema to the world.

Looking back on those eight years, Li said he would simply describe his role as having opened a door.

The legacy of Taiwan New Cinema continues today, Li added, with younger directors carrying its spirit while bringing fresh perspectives to history and contemporary life.

Earlier Saturday, Li visited Le Cube Garges, a digital and cultural innovation center in Garges-lès-Gonesse that opened in 2023.

Li arrived in the U.K. on Sept. 6 before traveling to France, where he is attending events tied to the Taiwan-France Cultural Award. He is due back in Taiwan next Wednesday.