The Tel Aviv Cinematheque is one of three venues hosting Taiwan Film Week (שבוע קולנוע תוצרת טאיוואן), with five Taiwanese films screening from 18 to 21 June 2026. It is the Tel Aviv leg of a nationwide programme that also runs at the Jerusalem Cinematheque and the Herzliya Cinematheque.
The Tel Aviv programme#
All screenings are in the original language with Hebrew subtitles. The Tel Aviv selection ranges from a restored 1971 wuxia (martial-arts) landmark to brand-new family and crime dramas:
- Crown Shyness (Distant Relatives / קרובות רחוקות), dir. Chang Chun-yu, 2025, 80 min — Thursday 18 June, 18:30 (Hall 1). When Nian returns to Taiwan after a cancer diagnosis, three generations gather under one roof, along with her partner Zai-Zai — a tender family drama with an LGBTQ+ thread. Mandarin, Taiwanese and Thai with Hebrew subtitles.
- Kung Fu (קונג פו), dir. Giddens Ko, 2026, 127 min — Friday 19 June, 21:00 (Hall 1). Two hapless teenagers, perpetually on the receiving end of a beating, learn to unlock their “superpowers” from an unlikely homeless master — a high-energy, genre-hopping comedy.
- Silent Sparks (זיקוקים חרישיים), dir. Ping Chu, 2024, 78 min — Saturday 20 June, 14:30 (Hall 1). Fresh out of prison, Pua tries to find money and please his mother, but what he wants most is to reunite with his former cellmate Mi-Ji — a debut feature blending gangster cinema with queer romance. Mandarin and Min Nan with Hebrew subtitles.
- A Touch of Zen (מגע של זן), dir. King Hu, 1971, 200 min — Saturday 20 June, 19:45 (Hall 1). A small-town calligrapher is drawn into protecting a fugitive noblewoman from a corrupt official’s agents in King Hu’s wuxia masterpiece, one of the genre’s defining works.
- Poetries From the Bookstores: Somewhere I Belong (שירה בחנויות הספרים: לשם אני שייך), dir. Hou Chi-jan, 2025, 90 min — Sunday 21 June, 18:30 (Hall 3). A documentary on Taiwan’s independent bookstores as gathering places for devoted booksellers and their local communities.
A first for Taiwan–Israel cultural ties#
Taiwan Film Week marks the first partnership between the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Tel Aviv and Israeli cinematheques, and launches the “Spotlight Taiwan Project 2026”, sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture to support institutions jointly promoting Taiwanese culture in Israel. The festival’s Oscar-shortlisted closing film, Left-Handed Girl, opens the Herzliya leg and closes the Jerusalem leg, but is not part of the Tel Aviv schedule.
Also screening across Israel#
- Jerusalem Cinematheque — 18–24 June 2026, six films including the closing Left-Handed Girl.
- Herzliya Cinematheque — 18–24 June 2026, opening with Left-Handed Girl.
Practical information#
- What: Taiwan Film Week — five Taiwanese films
- When: 18–21 June 2026
- Where: Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 2 Sprinzak Street, Tel Aviv
- Tickets: Cinematheque ticket prices; book per screening via the series page
- Phone: 03-606-0800
