BIOGRAPHY
His debut film was "Cute Girl" in 1980. He garnered attention for his compositional skills in 1983's "The Sandwich Man" and it was from that time that he became known as a leading light of the Taiwan New Wave. “All the Youthful Days” (1983) and “A Summer at Grandpa’s” (1984) earned him the Golden Montgolfiere at the Nantes Three Continents Festival two years in a row, and he became a director of global renown. In 1985 “The Time to Live and the Time to Die” won the Berlin-Forum FIPRESCI Award at the Berlin International Film Festival."A City of Sadness" (1989) is based on the story of the incident of “28 February 1947”, a subject previously taboo in Taiwan. It became a major success despite its seemingly uncommercial nature. It was awarded the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, and became the first Chinese language film to be an international hit.
He uses extensive improvisation to arrive at the final shape of his scenes and the low-key, naturalistic acting of his performers. Without abandoning this famous austerity, his imagery has developed a sensual beauty during the 1990s, partly under the influence of his collaboration with cinematographer Mark Lee Ping-Bin.
He has also cast revered puppeteer Li Tien-Lu as an actor in several of his movies, most notably "The Puppetmaster" (1993), based on Li's life and winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. With "A City of Sadness", “The Puppetmaster” and “Good Men, Good Women”, Hou has completed the so-called Taiwan modern trilogy. “Good Men, Good Women”, “Goodbye South, Goodbye” and “Flowers of Shanghai” all have being selected for entry into competition at Cannes, and “Millennium Mambo” has received the Prix du Jury at Cannes,He directed the Japanese film "Café Lumière" (2003) as an homage to Yasujiro Ozu, commemorating the centenary of Ozu's birth. It was selected in Venice Film Festival of 2003. In 2005 his film "Three Times" - which features three stories of love set in 1911, 1966 and 2005 using the same actors - was nominated for a Palme d'Or; it received glowing reviews instead.
Hou has also had some acting experience, appearing as the lead in fellow Taiwanese New Wave auteur Edward Yang's 1984 film, "Taipei Story".
Hou starred as Lung, a former baseball star who is longing for his past days of glory. Hou is also a singer having contributed two songs to the 1992 soundtrack of "Dust of Angels", a movie he also produced.
In August 2006 Hou embarked on his first Western project. Filmed and financed entirely in France "Ballon Rouge" (2006) is the story of a French family as seen through the eyes of a Chinese student. The film is the first part in a series of films sponsored by the Musee d'Orsay and stars Juliette Binoche.
FILMOGRAPHY
* Cute Girls (1980)
* Cheerful Wind (1981)
* The Sandwich Man (1983)
* The Boys From Fengkuei (1983)
* The Green, Green Grass of Home (1983)
* A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)
* A Time to Live, A Time to Die (1985)
* Dust in the Wind (1986)
* Daughter of the Nile (1987)
* A City of Sadness (1989)
* The Puppetmaster (1993)
* Good Men, Good Women (1995)
* Goodbye South, Goodbye (1996)
* Flowers of Shanghai (1998)
* Millennium Mambo (2001)
* Café Lumière (2003)
* Three Times (2005)
* Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (2006)