by FilmInk Staff
Taiwan Film Festival in Australia co-presenting Millennium Mambo at Sydney Opera House – Playhouse
MILLENNIUM MAMBO stunning 4K restoration on 2 May.
Directed by renowned Taiwanese auteur HOU Hsiao-Hsien, Millennium Mambo was nominated for the Palme d’Or at 2001 Cannes Film Festival and won the Technical Grand Prize for Sound Design (TU Duu-Chih). That same year, the film also received accolades for Best Cinematography (LEE Pin-Bing), Best Original Score (LIM Giong), and Best Sound Effects (TU Duu-Chih). The film revolutionised Taiwanese cinema, and its influence continues to this day.
Set in 2011, the story follows Vicky as she recounts her life ten years earlier. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend, Hao, who refused to work and relied entirely on her earnings from a hostess club. Despite this, Hao was intensely possessive—unable to bear the thought of other men touching Vicky, he would even meticulously inspect her receipts.
Written by award-winning writer CHU T’ien-Wen (UNFULFILLED DREAMS, 2020), a longtime collaborator of director HOU, Millennium Mambo marks another milestone in their partnership, which spans from Growing Up (1983) to Palme d’Or winner The Assassin (2015).
