Wan Jen


Wan Jen is a Taiwanese filmmaker. He is an influential figure of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement of the 1980s.

Biography

After graduating foreign languages department at Soochow University, he moved to USA, where he received MA in Film from Columbia College in California. 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. The two other parts were directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Zeng Chuang-hsiang. This movie, together with another anthology film - In Our Time - is considered a landmark in the emergence of the so-called Taiwanese New Wave. Among his other films, the most significant are Ah Fei, Super Citizen Ko and Connection by Fate.
Wan Jen focuses mainly on issues concerning Taiwanese society - both historical and current ones. His works are valued for their political and social criticism. In 1996, the :zh:中國文藝協會|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)

YearEnglish TitleOriginal TitleNotes
1979Morning Dream晨夢short film shot on 16-mm
1981Perplexed迷惘short film shot on 16-mm
1983The Taste of Apple蘋果的滋味segment in The Sandwich Man
1983Ah Fei油麻菜籽
1985Super Citizen超級市民
1987Farewell to the Channel惜別海岸
1991The Story of Taipei Women胭脂
1995Super Citizen Ko超級大國民
1998Connection by Fate超級公民
2001Puppet Angel傀儡天使
2004Sacrificial Victims大選民co-directed with Liao Ching-Song 廖慶松
2004Dana Sakura: Wushe Incident風中緋櫻: 霧社事件PTS 20-episode TV series
2007The War of Betrayal 1895亂世豪門PTS 20-episode TV series
2013It Takes Two to Tango跨海跳探戈