Taiwan Powers Into Berlinale With Four-Film Slate Led By LGBTQ+ Crime Drama

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Taiwan is making a strong showing at the Berlin Film Festival with four features in official selection, anchored by queer crime thriller “Silent Sparks” and cross-border pic “Dreams in Nightmares” in the Panorama strand.

The Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) is meanwhile mounting an aggressive market push, bringing 99 titles from 45 companies to the European Film Market (EFM). “Silent Sparks,” marking helmer Ping Chu’s feature debut, packs serious star wattage with Golden Horse winner Shih Ming Shuai and Golden Bell recipient Akira Huang headlining what’s being billed as a distinctly Taiwanese take on LGBTQ+ crime fare.

The PTS Originals production, backed by TAICCA development coin, will vie for Berlinale’s Teddy Award alongside “Dreams in Nightmares,” a Taiwan-U.S.-U.K.

co-production from producer Pin-Chun Liu that unites Each Other Films, Track Eight Pictures Limited and Verdant Peak Films. The Forum section adds visual artist Su Hui-Yu’s “The Trio Hall,” an experimental take on Taiwan’s late-70s cinematic aesthetic.