Tsai Ming-liang facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tsai Ming-liang
蔡明亮
Tsai in 2020
Born	(1957-10-27) 27 October 1957 (age 67) Kuching, Crown Colony of Sarawak, British Empire (present-day Sarawak, Malaysia)
Alma mater	Chinese Culture University (BA)
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1989–present
Awards	Venice Film Festival – Golden Lion 1994 – Vive L'Amour Grand Jury Prize 2013 – Stray Dogs Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear 1997 – The River Golden Horse Awards – Best Feature Film 1994 – Vive L'Amour Best Director 1994 – Vive L'Amour 2013 – Stray Dogs
Chinese name
Chinese	蔡明亮
Hanyu Pinyin	Cài Míngliàng

Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese: 蔡明亮; born 27 October 1957) is a famous filmmaker from Malaysia. He now works in Taiwan. Tsai has written and directed many movies, including 11 full-length films. He has also made short films and TV movies. He is known as one of the best "Second New Wave" directors in Taiwanese cinema. His films have won many awards around the world. In 1994, Tsai won the top prize, the Golden Lion, at the 51st Venice International Film Festival for his film Vive L'Amour.

Early Life and Education

Tsai was born in Malaysia. He is of Chinese background. He lived in Kuching, Sarawak, for his first 20 years. After that, he moved to Taipei, Taiwan. This move had a big effect on him.

In 1982, Tsai finished his studies at the Drama and Cinema Department of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. He then worked in Hong Kong. He was a producer for plays, a writer for movies, and a director for television. From 1989 to 1991, he directed several TV films. One of these films, Boys, starred Lee Kang-sheng. Lee later became a very important actor in Tsai's movies.

Film Career

Early Films (1992–1998)

Tsai's first full-length movie was Rebels of the Neon God (1992). This film was about young people facing problems in Taipei. Lee Kang-sheng played the character Hsiao-Kang in this movie. Lee has appeared in all of Tsai's full-length films since then.

Tsai's second movie, Vive L'Amour (1994), is about three people who share an apartment without knowing each other. This film is known for being slow-paced and having very little talking. It also explores feelings of being alone. These became common features in Tsai's films. Vive L'Amour was highly praised and won awards for best picture and best director at the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards.

His next film was The River (1997). In this movie, a family deals with the son's neck pain. The family in this film is similar to the one in Rebels of the Neon God. The same three actors played the family members. The Hole (1998) is about two neighbors living in an apartment. This film includes several musical parts.

Later Works (1999–2009)

In 2001, Tsai released What Time Is It There?. This film shows a man and a woman meeting in Taipei before the woman travels to Paris. This was the first film where Chen Shiang-chyi starred alongside Lee. She appeared in several of his next films.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) is about people inside an old movie theater that is closing down. For this film, Tsai used even longer shots and less talking than before. This style continued in his later movies. The Wayward Cloud (2005) is a follow-up to What Time Is It There?. In this film, Hsiao-Kang and Shiang-chyi meet again. Like The Hole, this movie also has several musical numbers.

Tsai's film I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006) was his first movie set in Malaysia. It tells the story of two different characters, both played by Lee. The film faced some challenges in Malaysia but was later shown after some changes. Tsai's next film, Face (2009), is about a director from Taiwan who goes to France to make a movie.

Recent Films (2010–Present)

Tsai (left) was named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the 2010 Busan International Film Festival.

Tsai's film Stray Dogs (2013) is about a family that does not have a home.

During the 2010s, Tsai focused on his "Walker" series of films. These films show a monk, played by Lee, who travels by walking very slowly. He is often seen in busy places.

In 2020, Tsai released Days. This film was shown at the Berlinale film festival. In 2021, he released Wandering, a short film with no talking. It shows a woman visiting an art show of Tsai's "Walker" series in Taiwan.

In December 2024, Tsai is scheduled to visit Australia for the first time. He will take part in an event at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in Brisbane. This event is part of a special look back at Tsai's work.

Awards and Recognition

Tsai has received many important awards for his films. These include:

• The Golden Lion for Vive L'Amour at the 51st Venice International Film Festival.
• The Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize for The River at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.
• The FIPRESCI award for The Hole at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
• The Alfred Bauer Prize and Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement for The Wayward Cloud at the 55th Berlin International Film Festival.
• The Grand Jury Prize at the 70th Venice International Film Festival for Stray Dogs.

In 1995, he was a judge at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2003, The Guardian newspaper listed Tsai as one of the top 40 directors in the world. In 2014, the government of France honored him with the Order of Arts and Letters.

Personal Life

Since 2021, Tsai has lived in the mountains near Taipei. He fixes up old apartments and lives in them. He shares his living spaces with his long-time friend and actor, Lee Kang-sheng.

Filmography

Feature Films

Documentaries

"Walker" Series

Other Exhibition Works

Segments

TV Films

Frequent Actors

Tsai often works with the same actors in many of his films. Here are some of them:

Actor	Rebels of the Neon God (1992)	Vive L'Amour (1994)	The River (1997)	The Hole (1998)	What Time Is It There? (2001)	Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003)	The Wayward Cloud (2005)	I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (2006)	Face (2009)	Stray Dogs (2013)	Days (2020)
Lee Kang-sheng	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Lu Yi-ching	Y	Y	Y		Y		Y		Y	Y
Yang Kuei-mei		Y	Y	Y		Y	Y		Y	Y
Chen Shiang-chyi			Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Chen Chao-jung	Y	Y	Y		Y	Y			Y
Miao Tien	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y
Norman Atun								Y	Y

See also

In Spanish: Tsai Ming-liang para niños