Before the Bright Day 南方時光
Drama┃118 mins┃TSAO Shih-Han┃2025
September 14th 7:00pm
Coolidge Corner Theatre
About the Movie
In 1996, as Taiwan held its first presidential election, China fired missiles to intimidate the voters. The stock and real estate markets plummeted. Amid this upheaval, how should young Chou, who dreams of independence, find his way to maturity? And as his father spirals into anxiety over mounting business troubles, how can they face the looming fog of war and the uncertainty of what lies ahead?
About the Director
TSAO Shih-Han
TSAO Shih-Han is a Kaohsiung-born filmmaker, screenwriter, and essayist. In 2016, he was selected for the Golden Horse Film Academy, where he received mentorship from Hou Hsiao-hsien, and in 2022 he was selected for Berlinale Talents.
His short films A Dream of Spring (2017) and Neko and Flies (2021) were both selected for the International Competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Neko and Flies was also nominated at the Golden Horse Awards, the Taipei Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Film Festival, and received the Special Jury Prize at the Golden Harvest Awards.
His feature film Before the Bright Day was selected for the New Directors Competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, earned him a nomination for Best Director at the Golden Horse Awards, screened at several international festivals including São Paulo International Film Festival, Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, and Zurich Film Festival, and received both the International Jury Prize and the NETPAC Award at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema.
