The Taipei Cultural Center in New York recently joined forces with the Asian Cultural Council to host the “East-West Dialogues” film forum in Midtown Manhattan. This inaugural event featured renowned Taiwanese art director and director Huang Wen-ying alongside her mentor, Charles McCarry. They shared their rich experiences in film production and discussed their collaboration on the 2023 film “The God of Heaven on the Roof.”
This film marks Huang’s directorial debut; prior to this, she had mainly worked as an art director, costume designer, and producer. Huang has been nominated seven times for the Golden Horse Awards, winning Best Art Direction for “Sea Flowers” and Best Costume Design for “The Assassin.” She has collaborated with acclaimed directors like Martin Scorsese and Luc Besson on projects, including Scorsese’s “Silence,” filmed in Taiwan.
Despite her numerous accolades, Huang continues to push her creative boundaries. Her latest film, which revolves around a family story set in Chiayi, has been selected for this year’s New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). For this project, McCarry contributed by creating a miniature model and special effects for the Chiayi train station. Interestingly, the pair has known each other since the 1990s when McCarry was Huang’s stage design professor at Carnegie Mellon University. After graduating, Huang even worked for him.
McCarry expressed his immense pride in Huang’s new project, describing it as a “gift from Taiwan to the world.” He has traveled frequently to Taiwan over the past twelve years and has even taught a masterclass at National Taipei University of the Arts. He highlighted the sincerity and collaborative spirit of Taiwanese students, which makes him appreciate the culture there. Both McCarry and Huang are recipients of Asian Cultural Council grants in 2022 and 2015, respectively.
Currently residing in New York, McCarry has produced iconic films such as “American Gangster,” “The Departed,” and “War of the Worlds.” When discussing the industry’s future, he acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the full application of artificial intelligence in film production but suggested that in five to ten years, rapid technological advancements could bring significant changes, particularly concerning copyright issues.
Reflecting on her early career, Huang fondly recalled that New York was her starting point. She initially considered pursuing her career in New York or Los Angeles but ultimately returned to Taiwan. There, she has engaged with many filmmakers from Japan and China, striving to elevate Taiwanese cinema’s visibility. She also expressed admiration for Hong Kong director Johnnie To’s romantic films.
Revisiting the city where she once ventured as a young artist, Huang remarked, “It would be fantastic if I had the chance to shoot a film here.” Her next project is a series that she hopes to film in New York, potentially spanning two or three episodes, though she first needs to secure investors.
