ABSTRACT
Few contemporary Taiwanese filmmakers are as exuberant as Lin Yuxian (b. 1974): “Let our work face the market!” he declares, for “the worst of times could also be the best of times.” 1 In his view, filmmakers can adapt to changing socioeconomics and resurrect an ailing Taiwan cinema. He has some cause for optimism: his first feature-length documentary Jump! Boys was one of Taiwan’s top five films in 2005, edging out Hou Hsiao-hsien’s (Hou Xiaoxian’s) awardwinning Three Times. 2 Lin’s box-office success was an important transitional moment in Taiwan cinema: it came on the heels of Wu Yi-feng’s documentary Gift of Life (the top-ranked movie in Taiwan in 2004) and Yen Lan-chuan and Juang Yi-tseng’s documentary Let It Be (another top five film in 2005) and preceded Wei Te-sheng’s 2008 record-breaking blockbuster Cape No. 7. In these and other commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies, we find a visible trend that points to a new direction for Taiwan’s post-urban generation, young directors who rediscover meanings and vitality in rural communities.
