No stranger to the most important international film festivals, the renowned Taiwanese director, screenwriter, producer, actor and singer has won the Award for Best Director for his new masterpiece at the prestigious French event this May.
Also, The New York Film Festival has hosted the US première in September & October.
Best known for his contemplative portrayals of Taiwanese history and society, Hou's foray into the fiercely contested martial arts (wuxia) genre may surprise at first.
But he seems to be able to add whole new layers to the age-old genre and expand it way beyond stunning visuals and state-of-the-art choreography (for an extensive recent interview with Hou Hsiao-hsien about the making of, see here).
The wuxia epic 'The Assassin' stars Hou's muse, the Taiwan-born and Hong Kong-based actress and model Shu Qi, a film celebrity in her own right.
The martial arts saga takes the audience back to 9th century China during the reign of the Tang dynasty when a female assassin called Nie Yinniang devotes herself to the art of killing until her troubled past catches up with her and changes her route (for a pretty raving review in The Daily Beast, see here).
The martial arts saga takes the audience back to 9th century China during the reign of the Tang dynasty when a female assassin called Nie Yinniang devotes herself to the art of killing until her troubled past catches up with her and changes her route (for a pretty raving review in The Daily Beast, see here).
Watch the official trailer below and decide for yourselves ...
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