Classic Film 'Crystal Boys' To Be Digitally Remastered

"Crystal Boys," the first film to explore homosexuality in Taiwan, is being digitally remastered almost 40 years after its release.

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:06 A wanderer lost in the Taipei night, with nowhere to call home.

00:11 This is a scene from the film Crystal Boys.

00:14 It depicts the lives of gay men in conservative 1970s Taiwan.

00:19 It was the first film about homosexuality to hit the big screen in the country.

00:24 It's being digitally remastered ahead of its 40th anniversary in 2026.

00:29 The new cut will include all the scenes that didn't pass film censors during its first run.

00:35 The film crew hopes it will give a new generation a glimpse into Taiwan's history.

00:40 [Speaking Chinese]

00:59 The author of the novel on which the film is based announced the start of the digital remastering project.

01:06 Bai Xianyong is a pioneering writer on homosexuality in Taiwan.

01:10 Published in 1983, the Crystal Boys novel has also been adapted for TV and the stage.

01:17 Bai believes that art has helped gay rights progress in Taiwan,

01:21 and that this trend is likely to continue elsewhere.

01:25 [Speaking Chinese]

01:45 The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute said it expects to finish remastering Crystal Boys by October,

01:52 just in time for this year's Pride celebration in Taiwan.

01:56 Kama Hsu and Yu-Jin Huang for Taiwan Plus.

01:59 class.

01:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]