Good Morning, Taipei + The Ordinary Scenes, Deng Nan-guang's Collections: Taipei Image(RTRFH 2022)

Movie Name: The Ordinary Scenes, Deng Nan-guang's Collections: Taipei Image
Language: Silent with score
Category: --
Duration: 35 minutes
Director: Deng Nan-guang
Story: Selected 8mm short films shot by Taiwanese photographer Deng Nan-guang are mostly heart-warming images of his home and family outings. One child comes after another, and they grow up with each film. Their vivacious spirit has stories of their own while the faces of the parents call for viewers to imagine their experiences and state of mind. The scenes include a swimming contest, the zoo, temple tour, among other sights. It is a record of Taiwan’s local culture. Its casual style contrasts greatly with Good Morning, Taipei’s tight storytelling. The last film was shot by his son Deng Shi-guang in the 1960s, showing the three generations played in front of the camera. Isn’t that showing the sadness and beauty of the passage of time? The music score is composed by local musician Bunn Lau for this screening.

Deng Nan-guang (1907-1971)
Originally named Deng Teng-hui, he was born in Beipu, Hsinchu County in Taiwan. He started to become passionate about photography while studying abroad in Japan. The 1930s and 40s were the peak of his career, when his photos of people in the city and rural areas path the way for realism in Taiwanese photography.

Bunn Lau
Local musician creating and performing live music for theatrical troupes and arts organisations since 2006.

Movie Name: Good Morning, Taipei
Language: Mandarin (Chinese subtitles)
Category: --
Duration: 106 minutes
Director: Lee Hsing
Story: Another morning in Taipei, Bee listens Joan Lin Feng-jiao’s radio broadcast as he pretends to go to school without letting his strict father know that he has quitted school to become a singer-songwriter. His best friend Chiang Ming works many jobs to make a living. Like other young people, they march to the beat of their own drum. Master filmmaker Lee Hsing had reached many heights since the 1960s and still would not back down even as the 80s came knocking. Based on a script written by Hou Hsiao-hsien, the film illustrates the life experiences of young people as they work hard to realise their dreams in the commercialised city. Their vague and uncontrollable feelings are depicted with honesty and affection. Lee, who had long adhered to Confucian philosophy, challenged himself to humbly seek the goodness in the hearts of the youth. Between youth and eternity, Lee found his 'middle way' and walked towards a new phase of his career—calling for the New Taiwanese Cinema to come. This film is the winner of Golden Horse Awards’ Best Feature Film in 1980.

Lee Hsing (1930-2021)
Born in Shanghai, Lee Hsing started to make Taiwanese-language films in the late 1950s. Our Neighbor (1963) was the origin of Taiwan’s 'Healthy Realism'. Lee had the ability to make classics out of local comedies, Healthy Realist films, family dramas, and Chiung Yao adaptations. His oeuvre built a Confucian style that valued prudent sensibilities and self-improvement. He was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at Golden Horse Awards in 1995.

^Pre-screening Introduction