I didn’t want to believe the rumors going around that Chinese master Hou Hsiao-Hsien was gravely ill. Some even thought we would never see another Hou film due to his being diagnosed with early on-set dementia.
We hadn’t heard from the Chinese-born Taiwanese filmmaker since his 2015 wuxia epic “The Assassin.” Then, very early this year, there was news that his long-developing drama “Shulan River” was finally beginning location scouting (via IONCINEMA). It could very well be the master’s final film.
Hou’s best-known films include “A City of Sadness,” “Flowers of Shanghai,” and “The Puppetmaster.” His style is as arthouse as it gets, but there’s a real beauty to his images that just sucks you right into its frames.
We wish him well.
Still no distributor for "Bucking Fastard," "Alpha Gang," "The Last Photograph," "Closing Night," and "The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd." The issue seems to be quality more than a lack of willingness to buy.