Two directors who make films in Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, say the key to surviving in the movie industry is to be yourself. The two directors were speaking on Monday, following the Golden Horse Awards, which were held in Taipei over the weekend.
The Golden Horse Awards are Taiwan’s equivalent of the Oscars. In the previous years, the awards have been divided among Chinese, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong productions. But most of this year’s Golden Horse Awards went to Mainland Chinese movies. That’s led to concern about the state of Taiwan’s movie industry.
But award-winning director Tsai Ming-liang urged his fellow movie makers in Taiwan to find their own stories first. He said that making movies is not about winning awards.
“[The most important thing] is to make good movies and to be yourself," said Tsai. "Right? It’s very hard to be yourself, but it’s not that hard to make movies. You have to respect the job, respect your profession, and not try to pander to the market. Being yourself is very important.”
Director Hou Hsiao-hsien agreed with Tsai, saying that you need to tell a story that moves yourself first, if you want to touch other people’s hearts. He said that Taiwan’s movie industry needs more diversity. Producers and directors need to make the films they want to make, he said, instead of just following trends.