Taiwan director Tsai Ming-liang to host 10-hour screening in Los Angeles
台灣導演蔡明亮（Tsai Ming-liang）將在洛杉磯連放10小時放映會
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) met with the media in Los Angeles on Wednesday to announce a 10-hour screening of his experimental film series “Walker,” which he said will challenge US audiences’ expectations of cinema, per CNA.
Tsai likened the marathon screening to a “long-distance flight, transporting audiences to another land.” He acknowledged that viewers may be wary of the running time, but said many find the experience unexpectedly immersive. They say the time passed too quickly, he noted. “Walker” was filmed over 12 years across eight cities worldwide. Neither a traditional feature nor a documentary, the work stars Tsai’s longtime collaborator Lee Kang-sheng (李康生), who walks barefoot through urban streets at an extremely slow pace, in silence. The film offers no narration or dialogue, leaving interpretation entirely to the viewer. The screening is supported by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, and the American Cinematheque. The latter hosted a well-received Tsai retrospective last year, paving the way for this weekend’s event. Tsai said he will accompany the audience at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., offering on-site commentary and engaging in conversations throughout the day. He described “Walker” as occupying a space between cinema and museum exhibition. The film is not just about watching but thinking and feeling, he said, adding that it invites you into a closed-off space and time. The series is inspired by Tang dynasty monk Xuanzang (玄奘), who journeyed for 16 years to India to collect Buddhist scriptures. Tsai said he hopes audiences can experience something of that spiritual solitude in today’s fast-paced world. Actor Lee Kang-sheng, who will also attend the screening, said he walked at a pace of 25 seconds per step, which left him physically drained. He filmed in temperatures as low as -2°C in Japan and in sweltering Malaysian summers, suffering daily from blisters. Lee called the film a “spiritual practice” and encouraged viewers to take part in the experience as a way to calm their minds and reflect. |
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| Sean Scanlan Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-08-07 |
