With the support of Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles collaborates with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) to launch a major Taiwanese program at the 15th edition of the FICUNAM International Film Festival from May 29 to June 5, 2025. The program includes a retrospective of master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, with special participation by renowned production designer and director Hwarng Wern-ying, as well as screenings of the acclaimed new film A Journey in Spring by emerging Taiwanese directors Wang Ping-wen and Peng Tzu-hui. Through screenings, talks, and dialogues, the program showcases the rich aesthetic and creative evolution of Taiwanese cinema—from its canonical works to contemporary voices.
Hou Hsiao-hsien is one of the most influential figures of Taiwan’s New Cinema movement. His deeply humanistic and formally refined works have garnered top honors at Venice, Berlin, and Cannes. This retrospective spans nearly four decades of Hou’s filmmaking, presenting nine key works at UNAM’s Cultural Center and Mexico’s national cinematheque, Cineteca Nacional, including The Boys from Fengkuei, The Time to Live and the Time to Die, Dust in the Wind, Goodbye South, Goodbye, Flowers of Shanghai, Millennium Mambo, Café Lumière, Three Times, and The Assassin, with several shown on 35mm prints. Additionally, Dust in the Wind will be broadcast on June 6 via the public television channel TV UNAM, extending the reach of Taiwanese classics to a wider Mexican audience.
A longtime collaborator of Hou, production designer and director Hwarng Wern-ying will participate in a public masterclass with Mexican designer Daniela Schneider, offering insight into the role of design in shaping memory and cinematic space. Wern-ying will also join post-screening talks for Millennium Mambo and Three Times.
FICUNAM will also screen A Journey in Spring (2023), co-directed by Wang Ping-wen and Peng Tzu-hui, which won the Silver Shell for Best Director at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and was nominated for multiple Golden Horse Awards. The film will be shown on May 30 and 31, with the directors in attendance.
Founded in 2011, FICUNAM is a leading cultural platform in Mexico for showcasing, analyzing, and discussing independent cinema. Through curated screenings and academic programming, it promotes critical dialogue and artistic discovery. The festival has previously presented retrospectives of Taiwanese filmmakers Edward Yang (2013) and Tsai Ming-liang (2021), both of which received strong acclaim. The 2025 Hou Hsiao-hsien retrospective continues FICUNAM’s engagement with Asian auteur cinema and highlights the deepening ties between Taiwan and Mexico in arts and culture.
Program Highlights (Central Mexico Time):
Hou Hsiao-hsien Retrospective | May 29 – June 5
Film lineup: The Boys from Fengkuei, A Time to Live, A Time to Die, Dust in the Wind, Goodbye South, Goodbye, Flowers of Shanghai, Millennium Mambo, Café Lumière, Three Times, The Assassin
Details: https://ficunam.unam.mx/manana-hace-mucho-tiempo-el-cine-de-hou-hsiao-hsien/
Master Class:
Title: De parte de las cosas: A Dialogue with Wern Ying Hwarng and Daniela Schneider
Date & Time: Saturday, May 31 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Venue: Sala Carlos Chávez, Centro Cultural Universitario
Details: https://www.catedrabergman.unam.mx/ficunam-15/
Post-Screening Q&As with Wern-Ying Hwarng:
• Millennium Mambo: May 31, 2:30 PM @ Sala Miguel Covarrubias
• Three Times: June 3, 1:45 PM @ Sala Julio Bracho
Special Broadcast: Dust in the Wind
- TV Broadcast: Friday, June 6, 22:00 on TV UNAM (Mexico only)
Screenings of A Journey in Spring:
• May 30, 3:00 PM @ Cine Tonalá
• May 31, 12:30 PM @ Sala Julio Bracho (with directors in attendance)
Festival Info:
Website: https://ficunam.unam.mx/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FICUNAM
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