TSAO Jui-Yuan

Tsao Jui-yuan, born in 1961, graduated from the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Shih Hsin University. He began his career as a cinematographer and documentary filmmaker before turning his focus to television drama production. He became a frequent collaborator with the three major television networks and the Public Television Service (PTS) on Golden Bell Award-winning dramas. With over 20 works to his name, he has been nominated for the Golden Bell Awards numerous times for projects such as Vacation (1998), The Sound of Rainbows (1998), Youth’s Midday Dream (2000), Remember/Forget (2001), and Girl's Dance (2001). His breakthrough success came in 2003 with the PTS production Crystal Boys, adapted from Pai Hsien-yung’s 1983 novel of the same name. Featuring gay protagonists and exploring taboo themes, the series earned widespread critical acclaim and sparked intense public discussion due to Tsao's nuanced portrayal of the leads and his precise capture of the repressive atmosphere of the 1970s. Crystal Boys swept five major Golden Bell Awards at the 38th ceremony—Best TV Series, Best Director, Best Leading Actress, Best Lighting, Best Sound, and Best Art Direction—firmly establishing Tsao’s talent for screenwriting and directing, as well as his stylized visual aesthetic. In 2005, Tsao once again adapted a short story by Pai Hsien-yung, Love's Lone Flower, for the screen. Boasting a high budget of 60 million NT dollars, the series featured an all-star cast including Anita Yuen, Angelica Lee, Hsiao Shu-shen, and Tuo Tsung-hua. The production depicted love in a chaotic era spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, transcending gender and ethnic boundaries. With its opulent costumes and sets, realistic depictions of wartime displacement, and the tangled same-sex and heterosexual relationships of its characters, the series received an overwhelming response. It was nominated for 12 Golden Bell Awards, including Best TV Series, and ultimately took home five, including Best Leading Actor and Best Supporting Actor, marking a remarkable achievement. Having spent over 20 years cultivating his craft in television, Tsao has always approached his TV work with the rigor of a feature film director. His series Love's Lone Flower was also edited into a film version titled Love's Lone Flower (The Movie), which was selected for various international film festivals, including the Taipei Film Festival's Taiwan Film Awards, the Brussels International Film Festival, and the New Delhi International Film Festival.