Timeline

1977:

• Hou Hsiao-Hsien working, as assistant director, within the film industry.
• Nativist cultural debates, 1977-78.

[Total films: 49 Mandarin language]

1978:

• Chen Kunhou and Hou meet and collaborate, at the Young Sun studio company.
• Wu Nian-jen begins writing scripts.
• The United States snub Taiwan in favour of reestablishing ties with mainland China. This was a national shock and further weakened the declining authority of the KMT, paving the way for the seismic political/cultural shift of the next decade.
• Government establishes the Film Library (National Film archive)

1979:

• Formosa incident

[Total films: 120 Mandarin language]


1980:

• Hou Hsiao-Hsien gets his first opportunity to direct a film himself, Cute Girl.
• Chen Kun-hou directs a couple of romantic comedies written by Hou.
• Rise of the 'Hong Kong New Wave', and Hong Kong films now dominating even the Taiwanese Golden Horse awards.

[Total films: 133 Mandarin language]

1981:

• Hou directs his second film, Cheerful Wind.
• Edward Yang writes and assists on a film, The Winter of 1905 (Dir: Yu Weizheng), shot on location in Japan.
• Wu Nian-jen hired into the CMPC production unit. He wins a Best Screenplay award at the Golden Horse awards for the film My Classmates (Dir: Lin Qingjie).
• Wang Tung's If I Were For Real wins 3 awards at the Golden Horse awards including best film.

[Total films: 138 Mandarin language]

1982:

• In Our Time released (Regarded as foundational film for the movement), as well as The Green Green Grass of Home.
• Beginnings of CMPC's newcomer policy, based on a production model titled 'low capital, high production', aimed at spreading risk and encouraging diversification. The reasons behind the necessity of this move include the increasing domination of Hong Kong films, and the failure of Taiwanese films to pick up any awards at the 1982 Asia-Pacific awards.
• Xiao Ye enters the CMPC as screenwriter and production assistant. He and Wu co-write Wang Tung's Portrait of a Fanatic.
• The GIO (Government Information Office) introduced a film law that reclassified cinema as a “cultural enterprise” rather than an “amusement enterprise’’ (comparable to bars, brothels, and dance halls). Part of the gradual cultural liberalisation.
• Chu Tian-wen's story 'Growing Up' published; Chen and Hou take an interest in adapting it. Hou meets Chu and thus begins a long productive collaboration.

[Total films: 144 Mandarin language]

1983

• The Sandwich Man, The Boys From Fengkuei, Growing Up, That Day on the Beach, Flower in the Rainy Night, Ah Fei (Wan Ren) released.
• The Sandwich Man, an omnibus film made by three relative newcomers, surprisingly outperforms The Wheel of Life, an omnibus film by the three most famous directors in Taiwan at the time. Growing Up is also an unexpected success.
• Censorship rules were relaxed, and films could go into production without prior consultation with the government

[Total films: 78 Mandarin language]


1984:

• Summer at Grandpa's, Jade Love (Zhang Yi), I Love Mary (Ke Yizheng), Run Away (Wang Tung),  released.
• 'Jiangnan incident': assassination of Chiang Kai-shek's biographer in the US, with Taiwan secret police seemingly involved. Great deal of controversy for the Chiang Ching-kuo.
• Hou's Boys from Fengkuei competes at Nantes (under label 'Taiwan, Chine') and wins top prize.
• Olivier Assayas visits Taiwan as reporter for Cahiers and writes about the new cinema.
• Tony Rayns in S&S briefly mentions New Taiwan Cinema, in a more extensive report on the the Hong Kong new wave.

1985:

• Taipei Story, Time to Live and a Time to Die, Kuei-Mei a Woman (Chang Yi), Super Citizen (Wan Ren) released
• 'Commerce or art?' debate 1985-87.
• Hou's Summer at Grandpa's competes at Nantes (under label 'Taiwan, Chine') and wins top prize.

1986:

• The Terrorizers, Dust in the Wind released.
• Formation of Democratic Progressive Party.
• Time to live, Time to die travels to Berlinale, screened at the International Forum of Young Cinema, where it is denominated as being from "Taiwan/China"

1987:

• Daughter of the Nile, Strawman (Wang Tung) released.
• Declaration signed and published by members and promoters of the New Cinema asking for change, a new cinema, and more support from the government.
• 'Everything for Tomorrow' incident: Hou works on government short.
• 'End' of the New Cinema.
• Martial law lifted.
• Hou's Dust in the Wind screened at Nantes but now under label simply 'Taiwan'.
• Hong Kong Film Festival stages filmic exchange between mainland and Taiwan, with films by Hou and Yang alongside those by Chinese directors.
• Positif publish report on Taiwan cinema.

1988:

• Death of Chiang Ching-kuo. Lee Teng-hui becomes president (until 2000).
• Ban on new newspapers and cap on number of pages lifted by the government.
• Nantes organise mini? Hou retrospective.
• Vancouver Film Festival organise a special retrospective of Hou's films so far. (Tony Rayns involved?)

1989:

• City of Sadness, Banana Paradise (Wang Tung) released.
• Xiao Ye and Wu Nian-jen quit the CMPC.
• Li Tianlu awarded “National Master of Arts” in by the Ministry of Education as part of a nationwide recognition and institutionalization of “cultural heritage.”
• City of Sadness released. Wins Golden Lion at Venice. Domestic censors pressured by international attention to release the film uncut. Domestic box-office success and cultural event due to taboo-breaking mention of 228 Incident.

1990:

• .
• Edward Yang takes up a role as teacher and director at the National Institute of arts.

1991:

• Critical anthology 'Death of a New Cinema' published, criticising amongst others Hou and City of Sadness.

• Yang's Brighter Summer Day released. Wins prizes at Tokyo, Nantes and the asia-Pacific film festival.
• Brighter Summer Day designated as an American/Japanese coproduction at the 1991 Tokyo International Film Festival, an absurd attempt by the festival director to avoid upsetting the PRC.

1992:

• Rebels of the Neon God, Hill of No Return (Wang Tung) released.
• Taiwan's film production keeps falling, only 22 films this year.
• Vancouver Film Festival stages complete Edward Yang retrospective (Tony Rayns involved, as programmer and wrote commentary notes).

1993:

• The Puppetmaster, The Wedding Banquet, Treasure Island released.
• Hou wins Grand Jury Prize at Cannes for Puppetmaster.
• Berlin begins to pay more attention to Taiwanese cinema after years of timid interest. This year The Wedding Banquet won the Golden Bear tied with Woman Sesame Oil Maker, a Taiwan-Mainland China double.

1994:

• A Borrowed Life, Confucian Confusion, Vive l'amour, Eat Drink Man Woman released.
• Vive l'amour wins Golden Lion at Venice.

1995:

• Good Men Good Women, Super Citizen Ko (Wan Ren), Heartbreak Island (Xu Xiaoming) released.
• Taiwan's government officially initiate effort to make Taiwan a hub for manufacturing, finance and media across the region. The media part of the project includes the film industry. This is a move to counter Taiwan's long marginality.
• SY Shen PhD thesis: “Permutations of the Foreign/er: A Study of the Works of Edward Yang, Stan Lai, Chang Yi, and Hou Hsiao-hsien.

1996:

• Mahjong, Goodbye South Goodbye, Buddha in America (Wu Nian-jen) released.
• First ever presidential elections.

1997:

• The River released.
• Death of King Hu and Bai Jingrui.
• Release of Oliver assayas' documentary portrait of Hou Hsiao-Hsien.
• Sheldon Lu publishes 'Transnational Chinese Cinemas'.

1998:

• Flowers of Shanghai, The Hole released.

2000:

• End of Lee Teng-hui's presidency. Democratic Progressive Party gain power for the first time. Chen Shui-bian president (2000-2008).

2001:

• Government voluntarily revokes import quotas and tariffs (as price for WTO membership) allowing even greater domination of Hollywood films.

2005:

• The Wayward Cloud (Franco-Taiwanese co-production) wins Berlin Silver Bear

Periodisation: Pre = <1982. TNC era = 1982-1986?. Consolidation era = 1986-1992. International auteur transition era = 1993+.....