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Wan Jen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wan (萬).
Wan Jen
Jen at Festival international des cinémas d'Asie 2010
Born1950 (age 73–74)
Taipei, Taiwan
SpouseSu Ming-Ming 蘇明明 (1996-present)
Childrenson Wan Yongli 萬永立
Awards
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese萬仁
Simplified Chinese万仁
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWàn Rén

Wan Jen (Chinese: 萬仁; pinyin: Wàn Rén) (born 1950, Taipei) is a Taiwanese filmmaker.[1][2] He is a member of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement of the 1980s.

Jen at IFFI 2010

Biography

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After graduating foreign languages department at Soochow University, he moved to USA, where he received MA in Film from Columbia College in California.[2][3] While in America, he managed to create two well-received short films. In the early 80s he came back to Taiwan. In 1983 he was invited to direct one of the segments in an omnibus film The Sandwich Man. His episode is entitled The Taste of Apple (蘋果的滋味). The two other parts were directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Zeng Chuang-hsiang. This movie, together with another anthology film - In Our Time (1982) - is considered a landmark in the emergence of the so-called Taiwanese New Wave.[2][4] Among his other films, the most significant are Ah Fei (1984), Super Citizen Ko (1995) and Connection by Fate (1998).

Wan Jen focuses mainly on issues concerning Taiwanese society - both historical and current ones. His works are valued for their political and social criticism.[3] In 1996, the Chinese Writer's & Artist's Association awarded him the Chinese Arts Medal for his achievements in the field of film. His wife, Su Ming-Ming, is an actress.

Filmography (as director)

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Year English Title Original Title Notes
1979 Morning Dream 晨夢 short film shot on 16-mm[3]
1981 Perplexed 迷惘 short film shot on 16-mm[3]
1983 The Taste of Apple 蘋果的滋味 segment in The Sandwich Man (兒子的大玩偶)
1983 Ah Fei 油麻菜籽
1985 Super Citizen 超級市民
1987 The Farewell Coast 惜別海岸
1991 The Story of Taipei Women 胭脂
1995 Super Citizen Ko 超級大國民
1998 Connection by Fate 超級公民
2001 Puppet Angel 傀儡天使 Never officially released,[5] other title Sacrificial Victims 大選民, possibly co-directed with Liao Ching-Song 廖慶松[6]
2004 Dana Sakura: Wushe Incident 風中緋櫻: 霧社事件 PTS 20-episode TV series[7]
2007 The War of Betrayal 1895 亂世豪門 PTS 20-episode TV series[8]
2013 It Takes Two to Tango 車拼 [9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Understanding Taiwan through Wan Jen's films". moc.gov.tw. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei. "Wan Jen" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis (1998), p. 351. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
  3. ^ a b c d Lee, Daw-Ming. "Wan Jen" in Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema. (2013), p. 387. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
  4. ^ Douglas Kellner, "New Taiwan Cinema in the 80s", Jump Cut, 42 (December 1998): pp. 101-115."online". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ^ 陳平浩. "「萬仁／眾生相」導演專題回顧展──影展導讀". Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Hong Kong Movie Database". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Official Homepage". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Official Homepage". Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  9. ^ "The 2013 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival". 12 October 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  10. ^ "SOAS". July 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.

Sources

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  • Daw-Ming Lee. "Chin, Han". Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema. (2013), pp. 387–389. ISBN 978-0-8108-6792-5.
  • Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei. "Wan Jen" in Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Taylor & Francis (1998), p. 351. ISBN 0-415-15168-6.
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