ABSTRACT
Following a reflection on the distribution and exhibition of Taiwanese cinema within the UK and Asian cinema more generally, this chapter suggests, through a consideration of the work of the Chinese Film Forum UK (CFFUK); a potential model for how academics and programmers working on Taiwanese cinema can, through the development of strategic partnerships, begin to make small but significant interventions in building a broader understanding of Chinese cinemas more generally and of Taiwanese cinema in particular. The cultural legacy of Taiwan New Cinema has been long and fairly consistent in the past decades. In the UK, despite numerous festival awards, Taiwan cinema remains relatively unknown and unfamiliar compared to the Chinese cinemas from mainland China and Hong Kong. The formation of the CFFUK emerged out of sporadic and informal conversations between a number of Film Studies academics based at the different Manchester universities and film programmers based at Cornerhouse, Manchester's leading multi-arts venue at the time.
