SAN ANTONIO — The Hou, Hsiao-Hsien Film Festival, sponsored by the Trinity University EAST program and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Houston, will be held November 3-7 in Chapman Auditorium. The events are free and open to the public.

• November 3 — Dust in the Wind (1986). The film tells the story of two young lovers who move from their country town to Taipei only to find that life in the big city is not what they expected. Here, Mr. Hou documents a country in transition, while dealing with themes of love, innocence, and the difficulties of modern life. Dust in the Wind won for "Best Camera" and "Best Music" at the Nantes Three Continents Festival. The viewing will begin at 4:30 p.m.
• November 5 — Three Times (2005). This film features three chronologically separate love stories — set in 1911, 1966, and 2005 — with the same lead actors. In this work, Mr. Hou explores love in its many manifestations and how current events affect personal life. Three Times was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. The screening will start at 3:30 p.m., followed by a panel discussion starting at 5:30 p.m.
• November 7 — A City of Sadness (1989). This film follows a Taiwanese family, caught up in violence and tragedy, from 1945 to 1949. Winner of the Golden Lion at the 1989 Venice Film Festival, A City of Sadness was the first piece of cinema to deal openly with the 2/28 Incident and government misdeeds on Taiwan after the island was returned to the Republic of China in 1945. The film will show from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

A leading figure of Taiwan's new wave cinema movement, Hou, Hsiao-Hsien was born in China's Guangdong province in 1947. His family moved to Taiwan the following year to escape the Chinese Civil War. After completing his education at the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts, Mr. Hou began directing movies in 1980. His films have been awarded prizes at the Venice Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, and Nantes Three Continents Festival. Six of his films have been nominated for the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. Voted "Director of the Decade" in a poll of American and international critics for the 1990s, Mr. Hou is known for making minimalist dramas about tumultuous events. His films usually focus on history as it unfolds in the eyes of an individual or a small group of characters. Mr. Hou is a strong believer in improvisation and uses actors with a naturalistic and low-key performance style.

For more information about the film festival, contact Trinity University's Office of University Communications at 210-999-8441.