LYON, France — London-based Radiance Films has acquired eight Taiwanese classics from the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), including works by acclaimed directors Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, for theatrical and home entertainment releases in 2027.
The deal, unveiled at Lyon’s International Classic Film Market (MIFC) on Thursday, includes Hou’s “A Time to Live and a Time to Die” (1985) and “Dust in the Wind” (1986), alongside three films by Tsai: “Rebels of the Neon God” (1992), “Vive L’Amour” (1994) and “The River” (1997).
Also included are “In Our Time” (1982), a landmark anthology of the Taiwanese New Cinema movement, Chang Yi’s “Kuei-Mei, a Woman” (1985) and Yang Li-kuo‘s “The Dull-Ice Flower” (1989). The latter will be released in both the U.K. and U.S., while the seven other titles are U.K.-only acquisitions.
Radiance plans individual releases and collections, including a Taiwanese New Wave set and a trio of Tsai films.
For Radiance founder Francesco Simeoni, the acquisitions are the culmination of years of efforts to secure films largely unavailable in Britain. After unsuccessful attempts to license titles from Taiwan’s Central Motion Picture Corporation, he finally established contact with TFAI at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. The deal took shape at Cannes, where he saw “The Dull-Ice Flower,” screened in Cannes Classics, and decided to include it in the package.
“Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang, I would argue, are among the most important filmmakers in world cinema ever,” Simeoni told Variety. “There are a lot of people who will be somewhat aware of them but not aware of where they started. I think it’s always important to understand where filmmakers come from.”
Radiance plans an extended theatrical rollout ahead of the home entertainment releases, beginning with screenings at London’s Garden Cinema later this month to build interest in the film, with further screenings and potentially streaming deals to follow.
Simeoni believes the films will resonate particularly with younger cinephiles, pointing to the enthusiastic response Radiance has received to comparable classics such as Noboru Nakamura’s “The Shape of Night” at theatrical screenings and film clubs, as well as through its online community. Much of that interest, he told Variety, appears to come from people in their twenties and thirties.
“There’s this group of people who are just starting on their cinephile journey and making discoveries for the first time first time and coming to us.”
The acquisitions come as restored film heritage finds new audiences and commercial opportunities through theatrical distribution, retrospectives and the collector-driven home entertainment market – a central theme at this year’s MIFC, where Taiwan reeuved a spotlight.
At a panel titled “Taiwanese Cinematic Heritage: Preserving the Past, Shaping the Future,” TFAI chairman Arthur Chu and programmer Howard Yang discussed the institute’s restoration and international distribution strategies alongside Radiance production manager Elena Lazic and Vincent Paul-Boncour, co-founder of French distributor Carlotta Films. The discussion was moderated by Taiwanese cinema specialist Wafa Ghermani.
TFAI has restored 110 titles since 2013 and now completes around a dozen restorations a year. Its early international strategy focused on acclaimed filmmakers, with 4K restorations of King Hu’s “Dragon Inn” and “A Touch of Zen” screening at Cannes Classics in 2014 and 2015. Now the institute is increasingly turning its attention to lesser-known films.
“These big-name, A-list filmmakers are like a springboard for us to engage with major festivals and markets, and connect with key players in the industry,” TFAI’s Chu said.
Audience demand also plays a role: a 2023 public survey identified “The Dull-Ice Flower” as one of Taiwan’s most popular classics, leading to its restoration and subsequent Cannes premiere.
Paul-Boncour pointed to Carlotta’s Edward Yang retrospective as an example of how restored classics can find renewed commercial life. In 2025, Carlotta brought Yang’s previously unreleased “A Confucian Confusion” and “Mahjong” to French theaters as part of a wider retrospective, followed by DVD and Blu-ray releases.
Again, the retrospective attracted a new generation of filmgoers, with Ghermani recalling long lines of young audiences waiting to attend screenings of Yang’s films.
For Paul-Boncour, the crucial step is ensuring that preservation leads to access. Restored films need more than festival exposure, he argued: they require distributors willing to invest in theatrical releases, promotion and home entertainment editions to give them a sustained commercial life.
But bringing such films back into circulation can be a lengthy and complicated process. Rights ownership, missing materials and music clearances remain significant obstacles, with negotiations sometimes stretching over years.
TFAI representatives acknowledged those challenges, particularly for older productions whose rights holders may be difficult to trace. The institute has also sought new partnerships with filmmakers, producers and sponsors to finance restorations and facilitate international distribution.
Beyond the commercial opportunities, the panel highlighted the cultural importance of Taiwan’s film heritage as the island marks the 70th anniversary of Taiwanese-language cinema.
More than 1,200 Taiwanese-language films were produced between the mid-1950s and late 1970s, but only around 200 are believed to survive. Often overshadowed by Mandarin-language productions promoted under Nationalist rule, these films offer a window onto Taiwanese society and identity long before the emergence of the New Wave.
“Especially due to the international geopolitical influence, I think Taiwan is increasingly gaining attention on the global stage,” said Chu. “This is the best way for us to promote our heritage through classic Taiwanese-language cinema.”
