Programmed March 2024

Early Films by Hou Hsiao-hsien

The roots of Taiwanese-cinema titan Hou Hsiao-hsien’s celebrated artistry are on display in this selection of early films that traces the evolution of his storytelling approach. While the charming romantic comedies Cute Girl (his feature debut) and The Green, Green Grass of Home show tantalizing glimpses of his personal touch couched in a more commercial mode, his fourth feature The Boys from Fengkuei —with its arresting long takes and naturalistic look at lost youth navigating the headwinds of early adulthood—finds the director coming fully into his own.

Still watchable end to end