Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles

Dear Friends,

As we embrace the festive spirit of the season, our hearts are filled with gratitude for the incredible community that surrounds the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles. Your unwavering support and passion have been the cornerstone of our journey throughout 2025.

This past year has been a vibrant tapestry of Taiwanese creativity—from evocative exhibitions and soul-stirring performances to the captivating stories told through our film screenings. As we look ahead to 2026, we are excited to expand these cultural horizons, bringing the essence of Taiwan to even more diverse platforms.

May the magic of the holidays bring you peace, and may the New Year be a canvas for your own beautiful stories.

Warmest wishes, Taiwan Academy in LA

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles collaborated with TAICCA and key film institutions across the city to present a series of Oscar-season events featuring three Taiwanese films: The Left-Handed Girl, Taiwan’s official submission for Best International Feature Film; Side A: A Summer Day, eligible for Academy consideration; and the documentary From Island to Island. Screenings and conversations held at the Asian World Film Festival, the American Cinematheque, and the Netflix Bay Theater at The Grove created meaningful opportunities for Los Angeles audiences and industry professionals to engage with contemporary Taiwanese cinema.

Throughout these public screenings and discussions, the films received warm and enthusiastic responses. The Left-Handed Girl won the AWFF Audience Award at the November 20 ceremony, and actor Nina Yeh received the Snow Leopard Rising Star Award, drawing strong interest from Academy members who participated in the Q&As. Side A: A Summer Day made a strong North American debut with its sensitive, intimate storytelling, while From Island to Island inspired thoughtful conversations on migration, cultural memory, and Taiwanese identity. Consistent attendance and positive reactions from programmers, critics, and press outlets further expanded the visibility of the films during the season.

Exciting news arrived on December 16: Left-Handed Girl has been shortlisted for the Oscars for Best International Feature Film, standing out among 86 contenders. With the Oscar-season program now completed, Taiwanese films demonstrated their artistic depth and continued growth within the international film community. The momentum built this year lays a solid foundation for future collaborations and upcoming Taiwan-centered screenings and industry initiatives in Los Angeles. The Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles looks forward to bringing more stories from Taiwan to audiences across the United States in 2026.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles is pleased to share the successful completion of Hung Dance’s 2025 North America Tour within our region. Over the past month, the company presented seven performances across the U.S. West Coast and Canada, showcasing the strength of Taiwanese contemporary dance to diverse audiences and cultural communities. From Port Angeles and Denver to Vancouver, Scottsdale, and Dallas, Birdy brought its unique fusion of contemporary movement, Jingju-inspired body vocabulary, and meditative physicality to thousands of audience members, who responded with standing ovations, mid-performance applause, and warm post-show engagement.

This year, the Taiwan Academy invited more than ten North American presenters and curators to attend performances. Their collective feedback highlighted Birdy’s refined physical precision, emotional resonance, and distinctive embodiment of Taiwanese movement aesthetics. Many noted that the work offered a fresh, compelling contribution to the North American dance landscape, sparking meaningful conversations about future collaborations. In parallel, early arts criticism responded favorably, describing the production as a captivating blend of ritual, tension, and spiritual clarity, and recognizing Hung Dance as an important emerging voice in contemporary choreography.

Building on the momentum of this tour, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles looks forward to supporting Hung Dance’s continued international presence. With enthusiasm from audiences and presenters alike, early discussions have already begun regarding a return to the U.S. West Coast in 2026. We are grateful to all partners, artists, and attendees who made this year’s tour possible, and we look forward to bringing more exceptional Taiwanese performing arts to North America in the year ahead.

The Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles is pleased to share that acclaimed Taiwanese actor Chang Chen has been nominated for Best Lead Performance at the 41st Film Independent Spirit Awards. Since 2023, the Spirit Awards has combined its acting categories into two gender-inclusive awards, Best Lead Performance and Best Supporting Performance, reflecting a significant shift toward inclusivity in the independent film community. With this nomination, Chang Chen becomes the third Chinese actor to be recognized for the Spirit Awards’ lead acting honor, and the first Chinese male actor to be nominated since the award adopted its gender-inclusive format. His presence among this year’s nominees demonstrates his remarkable international standing and the growing visibility of Asian performers in the American independent film landscape.

This recognition arrives during an exceptional year for Chang Chen, who recently received his second Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor, further affirming his influence in contemporary Chinese-language cinema. Over more than three decades, he has built a distinguished career through collaborations with renowned filmmakers such as Wong Kar-wai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Ang Lee, earning a reputation for emotional precision and sophisticated screen presence. As the Spirit Awards ceremony approaches on February 15, 2026, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles warmly congratulates Chang Chen and looks forward to celebrating this significant milestone with audiences and partners across North America.