Hou Hsiao-hsien quietly retires from filmmaking?

Heidi Hsia
·1-min read

26 Oct - It was revealed that Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien is retiring from the industry as he continues his battle with dementia.

According to IndieWire, Asian cinema scholar Tony Rayns was the first to claim this, saying that 76-year-old Hou's health is failing and that he likely "won't make another film", and that this has been confirmed by another source.

The director, known for masterpieces like "A City of Sadness" and "Flowers of Shanghai", was reported to have been working on the preproduction of his movie, "Shulan River", which has been developing for a long time.

Hou won Career Achievement Award from the LA Film Critics Association in 2020
Hou won Career Achievement Award from the LA Film Critics Association in 2020

With the said retirement, it looks like the 2015's "The Assassin" will be his last film.

It is noted that Hou's retirement had been an open secret in Taiwan, what with the closure of his office in Taipei, and staff being let go. However, no news of Hou's health has been released by the family, with many speculating that they would like to keep it private.

Hou directed one of Tony Leung's classic movie, 'A City of Sadness' (1989), which is considered Hou's masterpiece
Hou directed one of Tony Leung's classic movie, 'A City of Sadness' (1989), which is considered Hou's masterpiece
Hou (right) with Tony Leung in 1989
Hou (right) with Tony Leung in 1989

(Photo Source: IMDb, Taipei Times, Mingpao)

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