Taiwanese film hunters rescue ageing reels from bygone era

In a dimly lit house in central Taiwan, film hunter Wang Wei and his team carefully handle aging film reels, striving to rescue the fragile remnants of a once-vibrant cinema era. Their mission is to preserve the legacy of 'taiyupian,' rare Taiwanese-language films that briefly flourished from the mid-1950s to the late 1960s.

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an almost-voiceless post-war generation

These black-and-white movies were produced by independent and private filmmakers during a period when the Kuomintang (KMT) government, after fleeing to Taiwan, promoted Mandarin as the official language and sidelined Taiwanese Hokkien. Despite this, the films were widely watched and offer a unique glimpse into post-war Taiwanese society.

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meaningful

Arthur Chu, chairman of the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), highlighted the films' value, stating they represent "an almost-voiceless post-war generation." Wang echoed this sentiment, calling the potential rediscovery of these films "meaningful" and a tribute to their creators. However, the challenge is immense, with fewer than a sixth of the estimated 1,200 films produced having been salvaged so far.

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who worked so hard to make them and captured the images of Taiwan at that time

The aging cellulose acetate films are highly susceptible to decay, particularly "vinegar syndrome," which can render them brittle and unwatchable. Preservers must store them in cold conditions before painstaking manual repair, scanning, and digital cleanup can begin. The race against time and deterioration is critical, as Wang warns that discarded or degraded reels are "gone forever."

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there’s no way to bring them back