Art and Entertainment

Netflix announces the arrival of Taiwan’s most popular LGBTQ+ film Your Name Engraved Herein

Gay Times
By: Jordan Robledo

Pop the popcorn and get ready for the feels

The new film, which was released earlier this year, follows the love story of Jia-Han and Birdy.

Taking place in the ’80s the film also explores Taiwan lifting martial law and the transformation that the country endures.

Upon its release, the film was met with critical acclaim from both audiences and critics.

The movie was also nominated for five Golden Horse Awards and has become the highest-grossing LGBTQ+ film in Taiwan history.

Netflix’s LGBTQ+ social channel Most released a sneak peek via Instagram with stills from the movie and a quote from the director stating:” I hope viewers can relate to LGBTQ community’s feeling of genuine affection and heartaches that are just susceptible as everyone else.”
[FULL  STORY]

Georifters ‘Summer’s Over’ content update is available now

FullSync
Date: Dec 12, 2020
By: Chris Camilleri

Global video game publisher Leoful and Taipei-based indie developer Busy Toaster Games, today have gifted another content update for their terrain bending adventure Georifters. Here is a breakdown on what’s on offer:

– This ain’t no cosplay, its new costumes!
Each one of the seven heroes of Georifters have got a whole new set of fun and wacky Winter Outfits and (much less appropriate for this time of year) Swimsuit themed costumes. Each costume piece can be unlocked by playing through the game normally and then purchased with earned crystals. And they can be mixed and matched with original costumes.

And as you can see for yourself some of these Swimsuits are just weirder than weird. Dr. Schnoz has taken up a deep sea exploration hobby, while Chief has brought his chocolate ice cream fixation to a whole new level. Lex just acquired his snorkeling license and is now chilling out doing his own thing. As usual. Whatever. Don’t miss out on these awesome seasonal themed costumes!    [FULL  STORY]

Entertainer sentenced to 4 years for sexual assault as appeal fails

Focus Taiwan
Date: 12/10/2020
By: Flor Wang and Hsiao Po-wen

Chin Wei. CNA file photo

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Taiwan's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a guilty verdict against entertainer Chin Wei (秦偉), who has now exhausted all avenues of appeal, and it sentenced him to four years in prison for sexual assault.

The Supreme Court upheld the Taiwan High Court's ruling on the case and handed down a four-year prison sentence for sexually assaulting a female hairstylist in 2010.

Chin had appealed the case after the High Court found him guilty, saying in its ruling that he had sexually assaulted the hairstylist, using his status as a public figure to satisfy his own sexual desire.

In addition, Chin showed no remorse for what he did, which caused great damage to the victim mentally and physically, the High Court said.    [FULL  STORY]

TV adaptation of Taiwanese horror Detention is out now on Netflix

Detention span.

Eurogamer
Date: 6 December 2020
By: Vikki Blake, Contributor

Taiwanese horror Detention is the latest video game to get an adaptation on Netflix.

As we described in our review at the time, Detention takes place in 1960s Taiwan, more than a decade into the 38-year period of martial law known as the White Terror. This was a period which plunged the country into an oppressive Orwellian nightmare that lasted nearly four decades. Around 140,000 Taiwanese citizens were imprisoned, and up to 4,000 executed for their real or perceived dissidence toward the ruling Nationalist Party of China government during the period.

It was developed by Red Candle Games, which was in the news for all the wrong reasons last year after Chinese players revolted over an in-game attack on the leader of China that resulted in the game being temporarily pulled from sale.

As reported by PC Gamer, this Netflix series is separate from a 2019 movie that is also based upon the game, and has been developed in partnership with Taiwan's independent Public Television Service. The Chinese-language production stars Lingwei Lee as Yunxiang Liu and Ning Han as Ruixin Fang.

"A tormented student uncovers unsettling secrets about her remote high school as betrayal and a paranormal encounter upend her life," Netflix says in the show's description, which also confirms that the eight episodes will be made available weekly between now and the end of the year.
[FULL  STORY]

Cheated: F4’s highly anticipated stage reunion wasn’t what it was supposed to be

Asia One
Date: November 01, 2020
By: Lim Ruey Yan, THE STRAITS TIMES

Video screengrab/Jiangsu Television

The four members of Taiwanese boyband F4 sang their iconic song Meteor Rain for a show on China's Jiangsu Television last Friday (Oct 30), in a much anticipated performance.

But many fans were left disappointed by the so-called reunion.

Jiangsu Television announced last week that the quartet, comprising Jerry Yan, 43, Vic Chou, 39, Ken Chu, 41, and Van Ness Wu, 42, would reunite on its show, 1001 Night Festival. The news excited many of the group's fans, as it has been nearly eight years since F4 last performed together at Jiangsu Television's Spring Festival Gala in January 2013.

Last Friday, the four singers duly appeared during the show on Friday, performing Meteor Rain and another song First Time.

However, fans noticed something amiss when they kept a distance from one another and had zero interactions throughout the segment.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese talent wins 2 Asian Film Awards

Samantha Ko is the best supporting actress for 'A Sun,' Tomi Kuo the best new director for 'Detention'

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/10/28
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

AFA award winner Samantha Ko (Facebook, AFA photo) 

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Samantha Ko (柯淑勤) won the award for best supporting actress with her performance in “A Sun” and Tomi Kuo (郭聰憲) the prize for best new director with “Detention” at the Asian Film Awards (AFA) Wednesday (Oct. 28).

The 14th edition of the awards was broadcast online from Busan in South Korea due to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The best movie of the year was South Korea’s “Parasite,” which already won the Academy Award for best movie earlier this year. At the AFA, it won a total of four out of 10 awards it had been nominated for.    [FULL  STORY]

German Trade Office Oktoberfest 2020 kicks off in Taipei

Focus Taiwan
Date: 09/25/2020
By: Emerson Lim

German Trade Office Chief Representative and Executive Director Axel Limberg (left) and German Institute Taipei Director-General Thomas Prinz.

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) The two-day Oktoberfest celebration kicked off in Taipei on Friday, giving German companies and their business partners a rare chance to rub elbows at a time when social gatherings are temporarily banned in many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The annual German Trade Office (GTO) Oktoberfest is in its fifth year after the inaugural event in 2016.

The opening night was attended by around 100 guests, including German expatriates, officials from Taiwan's Foreign Ministry and business people.

Axel Limberg, chief representative and executive director of the GTO, told CNA that the Oktoberfest is a signature networking event for German companies in Taiwan.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese host Alien Huang’s death due to aortic dissection

Straits Times
Date: SEP 19, 20207Jan Lee

Taiwanese singer-actor-host Alien Huang was found dead in his home on Sept 16, 2020.PHOTO: INTERNET

TAIPEI – An autopsy has revealed that Taiwanese singer-actor-host Alien Huang died of cardiovascular complications.

On Friday (Sept 18), Huang's autopsy was completed and his manager explained to reporters that findings concluded that Huang died of an aortic dissection, which then led to a blockage of his blood vessels.

An aortic dissection is a life-threatening condition which occurs when the inner layer of the aorta – the large blood vessel branching off the heart – tears.

Huang, who was 36, was found dead in his home on Wednesday (Sept 16). There was speculation then that his death might have been due to a freak accident at home, but autopsy findings concluded that he had no external injuries.    [FULL  STORY]

IU Let Her Inner Sexy Show by Exposing a Little More Skin Than Usual at Her Concert in Taiwan

It’s not often that IU shows off her gorgeously thin waist.

Koreaboo
Date: Sep 14, 2020

In a vlog that IU posted to her official YouTube account, IU could be seen performing at her concert in Taipei, Taiwan wearing outfits that showed off her sexy charms.

What stood out in this upload was the fact that IU confidently exposed the skin around her chest and waist area that she’s normally known for keeping covered.

On that evening, IU wore a black outfit for one of her performances which exposed her thin waist and gorgeously pale skin tone. What added to her sexy vibe was the fact that her chest area was exposed as well, due to the the criss-cross string design of her cute black top.

The outfit showed off her waist even more because of the sweatpants she wore with it that drew all attention to the top half of her body. And that’s not all. During IU’s performance of “Red Queen”, she wore a tight red dress that exposed her chest and leg area.    [FULL  STORY]