News

A detective thriller draped in marital drama, Behind the Shadows unfolds amid Kuala Lumpur’s humid streets and dimly lit backrooms. Au Yeung Wai-yip (Louis Koo) operates a smoke-filled Pi agency, hired to expose unfaithful partners—only to discover his own wife, Kuan Weng Sam (Chrissie Chau), at the heart of his latest adultery case. Co-directors Jonathan Li and Chou Man-yu, reunited after Dust to Dust, steer clear of pure puzzle-solving in favor of the intimate fissures beneath each revelation.

The film’s pulse alternates between furtive stakeouts and charged domestic confrontations, its humid atmosphere and shifting loyalties setting a tone of relentless unease. As an exploration of trust and betrayal, the story pivots on that first tremor—Au’s dawning realization that professional detachment cannot shield him from personal upheaval.

Unraveling Threads

Three distinct assignments kick off the narrative: a missing-person inquiry, a gangster’s suspicion of his moll,...

Social inequality might be considered “a tale as old as time”. No matter the century or year, its intricacies intrigue the creative industry, from literature to cinema. After all, equality still represents an unattainable goal. But to face such a topic, one should also be able to question their own sense of morality. And ‘Old Fox‘ by Hsiao Ya-chuan, winner of four Golden Horse Awards, is an evocative journey that challenges us to question our present by looking at the past.

Old Fox is screening at Asian Pop Up Cinema

Set in the late 80s, the film tells the story of 11-year-old Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin) and his father Liao Tai-lai (Kuan Ting-Liu). Father and son live in poverty, as Tai-lai is only a waiter and the sole provider. While skimping on clothes, gas, and everything else needed, the father hopes to save enough money to fulfill his late wife...

Join us as we review Old Fox (2023), Hsiao Ya-chuan‘s nostalgic coming-of-age drama that captured four Golden Horse Awards and is Taiwan’s official Oscar submission. Set against the backdrop of Taiwan’s transformative late ’80s, the film tells the heartfelt story of young Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin) navigating a moral tug-of-war between his empathetic father, Tai-lai (Kuan Ting-Liu), and the cunning landlord “Old Fox” (Akio Chen).

With a mix of noir aesthetics, captivating performances, and a nostalgic depiction of Taiwan’s changing socio-economic landscape, Old Fox delivers an entertaining yet flawed fairy-tale-like tale of morality. Is it as profound as it aims to be, or does its romanticized elements hold it back? Watch our in-depth breakdown of this crowd-pleasing Golden Horse winner!

Let us know your thoughts on Old Fox! Team Tai-lai or Team Old Fox?...

Social inequality might be considered “a tale as old as time”. No matter the century or year, its intricacies intrigue the creative industry, from literature to cinema. After all, equality still represents an unattainable goal. But to face such a topic, one should also be able to question their own sense of morality. And ‘Old Fox' by Hsiao Ya-chuan, winner of four Golden Horse Awards, is an evocative journey that challenges us to question our present by looking at the past.

Old Fox is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase

Set in the late 80s, the film tells the story of 11-year-old Liao Jie (Bai Run-yin) and his father Liao Tai-lai (Kuan Ting-Liu). Father and son live in poverty, as Tai-lai is only a waiter and the sole provider. While skimping on clothes, gas, and everything else needed, the father hopes to save enough money to...

Screenworks Asia, the production subsidiary of Taiwan’s Catchplay, is teaming with the Taiwanese arm of Chinese platform iQiyi to jointly stream two of its original series: Not a Murder Story and I Can See You Shine.

Set to stream on Catchplay+ and iQiyi beginning in January 2024, Not a Murder Story is directed by Chen-Nien Ko, one of Taiwan’s most promising young filmmakers, following her award-winning feature The Silent Forest and series Close Your Eyes Before It’s Dark.

Starring Kuan-Ting Liu (A Sun), Sonia Sui (Women Who Flirt) and Gingle Wang (Wave Makers), Not a Murder Story will also be broadcast on Taiwan’s Gtv Channel and Catchplay Movies Channel.

It revolves around a wannabe actor who finally gets his big break but wakes up with a dead woman beside him, then makes matters worse by trying to make the situation look like a robbery gone wrong.

Here’s...

Taiwan-based regional streamer Catchplay and its production subsidiary Screenworks Asia have announced a slate of Mandarin-language originals, headed by eight-part crime thriller Not A Murder Story, directed by Chen-Nien Ko (The Silent Forest) and starring Kuan-Ting Liu (A Sun).

Currently in post-production, the series is a co-production between Screenworks Asia, Taiwan’s Gala Television Corp and Hong Kong’s MakerVille Company. The story revolves around an aspiring actor who wakes up one morning with a dead woman beside him. Sonia Sui (Women Who Flirt) and Gingle Wang (Detention) also star.

Also in post-production is coming-of-age comedy drama I Can See You Shine, scripted by Xin-Xuan Huang (The Making Of An Ordinary Woman I & II). The story of two high school friends, one of whom is a second generation immigrant, aims to challenge stereotypes around immigrant families in Taiwan.

Screenworks Asia has also announced its first film production, psychological thriller Love Is A Bitch,...

Legacy involves talent from Story Of Yanxi Palace, while Trinity Of Shadows is co-produced with Taiwan’s Catchplay and Hong Kong’s Viu.

WarnerMedia has unveiled two new HBO Asia original series, both Chinese-language productions – Legacy and Trinity Of Shadows – at the ongoing virtual Apos conference.

Legacy involves several talents from popular Chinese drama, Story Of Yanxi Palace, while Trinity Of Shadows is a co-production with Taiwan’s Catchplay and Hong Kong’s Viu TV.

Set in the 1920s, Legacy revolves around a wealthy family and its three sisters who vie to inherit their father’s shopping mall business.

The...