Tzu Ying Chuang
Tzu Ying Chuang, born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is a film director and cinematographer, and a member of Chinese Society of Cinematographers (C.S.C., Taiwan). She entered the business in 1999 and has been involved in different types of video productions, such as T.V. series, T.V. commercials, movies, and documentaries. Chuang was also the cinematographer in several popular singers’ music videos in Taiwan. The T.V. series “iHero” she worked on had been nominated by Golden Bell Awards of Taiwan in 2015. Chuang has also participated in a couple of films by the award-winning international director Hou Hsiao-Hsien “Millennium Mambo” and “Café Lumière.” Recently, she assisted Centre Culturel de Taïwan à Paris on their filming project of Taiwanese poet Lo Chih-Cheng and Taiwanese queer novelist Chi Ta-wei.
- Location France / Paris
- Year of the Grant 2018
- Residency Cité Internationale des Arts
As a professional in the film industry, instead of going to film school, I learned my knowledge from my coworkers and by self-learning. Therefore, I am thrilled to have this residency opportunity at the Cité Internationale des Arts in 2018. I was expecting to see Paris and to know every aspect of the film industry in France.
In 2018, I went to Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France. Everything in Paris was new to me. When I first arrived at Cité, I saw the Seine River is on the other side of the road, and the Place de la Bastille is not far from the art village. I felt the city is full of culture and humanity. As I walked into the art village, I felt the creative energy right away. There were playbills on the wall, some artists were hanging around, and some were working in their studios.
As a new member of Cité, I felt I need to mingle with others in the village. So, I went to the dinner party for resident artists in the village. From there, we promptly organized a short film screening event with artists from Taiwan, Australia, and France. I played a short film of mine," One Experimental Scene of the Caretaker." Thanks to the great help by Centre Culturel de Taïwan à Paris, the screening was a full house. There were artists from Cité, film directors, and committee members of film festivals. This event not only acquired me positive feedbacks from the industry professionals but also surprised me that in Paris, art things could happen so naturally.
During my residency at Cité, I made a video work called "Walking in Paris." The idea just came up when I walked back to my place one day. I want to record people walking on the street in Paris and to feel the city. Consequently, Julia, an Australian artist who also loves walking in Paris, became my subject. She chose a narrow, crooked lane in the town, and she said it reminds her of her childhood. The road looks like the crooked stone road she walked home after school every day in Australia.
This residency opportunity at Cité absolutely broadened my horizon and improved the soft skills that I lacked before. By connecting with international art workers in Paris, it elevated my mindset. It allowed me to have a clearer idea about my career development and encourage me to push myself further on directing. I expect that the world will know more about Taiwan's young film directors in the near future.