WALKER Marathon

ABOUT THE MARATHON:

Legendary filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang invites you to an all-day marathon of his complete WALKER series. Embodying elements of performance art and spiritual practice, Director Tsai will watch all 10 films alongside the audience, offering special introductions throughout the program, culminating in a closing Q&A at the end of the 10-hour program.

11:00am | NO FORM / WALKER / WALKING ON WATER + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

12:15pm | Intermission

12:25pm | JOURNEY TO THE WEST / NO NO SLEEP + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

1:55pm | Extended Intermission

2:25pm | SLEEPWALK / DIAMOND SUTRA + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

3:05pm | Intermission

3:15pm | SAND + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

4:35pm | Intermission

4:45pm | WHERE + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

6:15pm | Extended Intermission

6:45pm | ABIDING NOWHERE + Introduction by Director Tsai Ming-liang

8:05pm | Q&A with Director Tsai Ming-liang and actor Lee Kang-sheng

Start times are approximate. Ticket includes entry to all films in the marathon.

ABOUT THE FILMS:

NO FORM, 2012, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 20 Mins, Homegreen Films, Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

WALKER, 2012, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 26 Mins, Homegreen Films, Hong Kong/Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

WALKING ON WATER, 2013, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 29 Mins, Homegreen Films, Taiwan

In Mandarin with English subtitles.

FORMAT: DCP

JOURNEY TO THE WEST, 2014, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 56 Mins, Cinema Guild, France/Taiwan

In Mandarin with English subtitles.

FORMAT: DCP

NO NO SLEEP, 2015, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 34 Mins, Homegreen Films, China/Taiwan/Hong Kong

FORMAT: DCP

SLEEPWALK, 2012, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 20 Mins, Homegreen Films, Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

DIAMOND SUTRA, 2012, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 20 Mins, Homegreen Films, Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

SAND, 2018, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 81 Mins, Homegreen Films, Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

WHERE, 2022, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 91 Mins, Homegreen Films, France/Taiwan

FORMAT: DCP

ABIDING NOWHERE, 2023, Dir. Tsai Ming-liang, 79 Mins, Smithsonian Institution, Taiwan/USA

FORMAT: DCP

A NOTE FROM DIRECTOR TSAI MING-LIANG:

I want audiences to see that cinema holds endless possibilities.

In 2012, when I felt overwhelmed by narrative structures and the demands of the film industry—unsure of what I could or should do—the WALKER series became my lifeline. During a stage collaboration with Lee Kang-sheng, I discovered a slow-walking gesture in his performance—an incredibly graceful, powerful form. It inspired me to make a work that was purely visual: just walking.

Step by step, we journeyed from Taipei to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, Washington D.C.—ten films made over twelve years, across eight cities.

The WALKER series has been invited to Venice and Berlin film festivals, and exhibited in spaces such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Centre de la photographie in Geneva. Each presentation offers a different way of experiencing the series.

In recent years, I’ve been exploring how cinema and art institutions might merge—blurring the lines between them, opening up new possibilities for viewing. By the time I completed the tenth WALKER film, what I hoped most was that audiences in Taiwan could experience the work not only in galleries, but also in a focused, cinematic space—where they can fully engage with the textures and force of these slow, pure images.

So I decided to take on a bigger challenge: to gather all ten WALKER films and present them in a marathon screening—a ten-part journey, ten hours long.

From the first minute to the last, I’ll be there with you. For ten hours, we will share the space together—quietly watching these slow images. We will drink water together, eat together, talk, and maybe even sing together.

This is, in many ways, a kind of spiritual practice through art. I believe it is an unprecedented cinematic experience.

This slow journey—I hope you’ll walk it with me.

– Tsai Ming-liang