festival program / Knight Marimbas Award

Detention

About

It is 1962 and Taiwan is going through the White Terror period. A sense of desolation and tension permeate Taiwan's society, in fear because of political repression. This is the backdrop for John Hsu Han-chiang's award-winning Detention.

Fang (Gingle Wang Ching), a student at Tsuihua Senior High School, falls in love with Mr. Zhang (Fu Meng-po), a counselling teacher. When Zhang vanishes into thin air, Fang and his friends start looking for the disappeared teacher but are forced to face the terrifying truth.

Adapted from the side-scroller video game of the same name, this high-school horror film interweaves romance and fantasy to create a powerful, contemporary relevant and thought provoking story.

This screening is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Event Dates

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SilverSpot Cinema 16

SilverSpot Cinema 16

Director Bio

John Hsu is a Taiwanese filmmaker and transmedia storyteller. He holds an MFA on Radio, TV and Film Production and is an alumni of Berlinale Talent Campus. Detention (19) is his debut feature film, winner of 5 prizes at the 56th Golden Horse Awards, including Best New Director.

Cast & Credits

  • Director(s)
    John Hsu
  • Screenwriter(s)
    Shih-Keng Chien, Kai-Ling Fu, John Hsu
  • Composer
    Luming Lu
  • Cast
    Gingle Wang, Meng-Po Fu, Jing-Hua Tseng

Film Info

  • Year
    2019
  • Category
  • Original Title
    返校
  • Country
    Taiwan
  • Run-Time
    103 min
  • Language
    Mandarin Chinese
  • Subtitles
    English

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