Tsai Ming-liang to Shoot and Premiere Next ‘Walker’ Film at Ji.hlava Film Festival

Malaysia-born Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, who won the Golden Lion at Venice for “Vive L’Amour,” will shoot and present the next in his series of “Walker” films at the 29th Ji.hlava Film Festival (Oct. 24 to Nov. 2).

Tsai won the Special Jury Prize in 1997 in Berlin for “The River,” and the Berlin Silver Bear and the Alfred Bauer Prize in 2005 for “The Wayward Cloud.” He competed in Cannes with “The Hole” in 1998, “What Time Is It There?” in 2001, and “Face” in 2009.

Tsai received Ji.hlava’s award for contribution to cinema last year.

Ji.hlava director Marek Hovorka said, “We are delighted that [Tsai’s] visit to last year’s festival inspired him to shoot a film for his acclaimed series. It is a great honor for Ji.hlava as a festival and for the Czech Republic, which will thus join Hong Kong, Malaysia, France and the USA, where shot the previous parts.”

The film will be made during the festival in collaboration with students from Prague’s film school, FAMU, who will work in key positions as part of its mentoring program. Post-production will take place at FAMU Studio, and the finished film will be premiered at the festival on Nov. 1.

The film will be financially supported by the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture.

The “Walker” series, which began in 2012, features Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng as a monk moving at an extremely slow pace through various urban environments, creating a meditative contrast between ancient spiritual practice and modern settings.

“The films from the ‘Walker’ series are a call to slow down, to stop, to change our perception. They are the antithesis of today’s digital civilization,” Hovorka said.