HIFF’s 2026 Spotlight on Taiwan looks across generations of Taiwanese cinema—honoring the artists who transformed its cinematic language while celebrating a new generation carrying that legacy forward in unexpected directions.

The program looks back with THAT DAY, ON THE BEACH, the landmark first feature from Edward Yang, whose perceptive observations of everyday life, relationships, and a rapidly changing society helped define the Taiwanese New Wave. That influence reverberates through WILL YOU STILL BE MY FRIEND?, Lu Po-Shun’s contemporary Bildungsroman about growing up and finding one’s place in the world, continuing a distinctly Taiwanese tradition of locating profound emotional and social truths within the intimate experiences of ordinary lives.

BEYOND THE SMILES: YANI TSENG turns its gaze toward a very different kind of coming-of-age, offering a candid portrait of the Taiwanese golf icon as she navigates fame, mental wellness, and the immense weight of representing a nation on the world stage.

Meanwhile, Nelson Yeo’s THE HOUSE ON THE MOON points toward Taiwan’s increasingly international future. Developed through Taiwan’s expanding support for global filmmakers and co-productions—this particular film is a co-pro with Singapore, Germany and Indonesia—the film exemplifies how the island is building creative bridges across borders while championing artistic integrity and bold filmmaking.

That spirit of experimentation extends to shorts AMATEUR IN THE MOON by Pang-Chuan Huang and Chunni Lin and PRAYING MANTIS by Joe Hsieh, demonstrating the continuing excellence and creative permutations of Taiwan’s short-film tradition.

Together, these films reveal a cinema simultaneously looking backward and moving forward—grounded in a remarkable artistic legacy while positioning Taiwan as an increasingly vital creative force in Asian and global cinema.