Yang Ya-che (; born 17 July 1971) is a Taiwanese film and television director and screenwriter. He was nominated for the Taipei Golden Horse Awards for Best Director two times, for ''

Girlfriend, Boyfriend ''Girlfriend, Boyfriend'' (also stylized as ''Gf*Bf'') is a 2012 Taiwanese drama film written and directed by Yang Ya-che. The film was released on August 3, 2012. Of the film, director Yang stated that while he did not intentionally set out to ...

'' ( 女朋友·男朋友) in 2012 and '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) in 2017.

Early life

Born in Banqiao,

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality located in regions of Taiwan, northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 4,004,367 as of January 2023, making it the most populous city in Taiwan, a ...

, Taiwan, Yang Ya-che graduated from the Taipei Municipal Zhongzheng Senior High School and the Department of Mass Communication at

Tamkang University Tamkang University (TKU; ) is a private university in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It was founded in 1950 as a junior college of English. Today it is a comprehensive university with 11 colleges that serves nearly 25,000 students ...

. His works cover a wide range of genres, including stage plays, television dramas, serial dramas, documentaries, and films. Yang Ya-che’s father was a fortune teller. While he originally studied French at Tamkang University, he later switched to the Department of Mass Communication to further pursue his interest in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

and film.

Career

In 2002, Yang Ya-che won both the Best Director and Best Screenwriter awards for television drama, ''Wei zhang tian tang'' (違章天堂), at the

Golden Bell Awards The Golden Bell Awards () is an annual Taiwanese television and radio production award presented in October or November each year by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, a division of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), M ...

. In 2008, his first feature film, ''Orz Boyz!'' (囧男孩), was a box office success and became the runner-up in

Taiwanese films This is a list of films produced in Taiwan ordered by year of release. For an alphabetical list of Taiwanese films see :Taiwanese films Pre 1970 * List of Taiwanese films before 1970 1970s * List of Taiwanese films of the 1970s 1980s * List ...

of the year. It also sold the rights to Japan, becoming the first Taiwanese film purchased by

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

in the past decade. In 2012, his second feature film, ''

'' ( 女朋友·男朋友), won multiple film awards, including the Audience Choice Award and the Best Actress at the 49th Taipei

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards () are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Repub ...

. His third feature film, '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音), won the Best Feature Film award at the 54th Taipei

. The female lead characters in Yang Ya-che's television dramas are frequent Best Actress winners at

: June Tsai won the Best Actress award in a TV series at the 36th

for ''Farbidden Love'' (逆女);

Hsieh Yue-hsia Hsieh Yue-hsia (; 1944–2009) was a Taiwanese actress. She was born Lin San-chiao () is what became Taiping District, Taichung. Lin began training in dance at the age of four, with Hsieh Lien-zhi (), and later took her mentor's surname. Hsieh Y ...

won the Best Actress award in a TV series at the 37th

for ''Wei zhang tian tang'' (違章天堂); and

Wanfang Lin Wanfang (; born 6 July 1967), professionally known as Wanfang, is a Taiwanese singer, actress and radio DJ. She is renowned for her sonorous, gentle soft voice and probably best known for being the original theme singer of the film '' C'est l ...

won the Best Supporting Actress award in a mini-series at the 43rd

for ''No Practice Love Song'' (不愛練習曲). The main female characters in his three feature films all won awards at the Taipei

: Ivy Mei won the Best Supporting Actress award for ''Orz Boyz!'' (囧男孩);

Gwei Lun-mei Gwei Lun-mei (; born 25 December 1983) is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in 2002, with the film '' Blue Gate Crossing''. Gwei then appeared in a few more films before achieving wide recognition for the film '' Secret'', dir ...

won the Best Actress award for ''

'' ( 女朋友·男朋友); and

Kara Wai Kara Wai Ying-hung BBS (; born 3 February 1960) is a Hong Kong actress best known internationally for her roles in wuxia films produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio in the 1970s and 1980s. Wai has since portrayed a wide range of roles on screen ...

and Vicky Chen won the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively, for '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音). For this reason, Yang Ya-che is acclaimed as the "Queen Maker." In March 2022, Yang Ya-che became the chairman of Mirror TV after the previous chairman, Lee Yung-feng, founder of the Paperwindmill Theatre, resigned from the position just 11 days after Chen Chien-ping was abruptly removed. Zheng You was announced as the new chairman of Mirror TV two weeks after Yang Ya-che's appointment. In May 2022, Yang Ya-che announced that he would cancel his

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

subscription due to a

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

post by Netflix that made fun of Taiwan's inability to purchase rapid

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

tests, which sparked outrage among netizens who accused him of double standards.

Filmography and Publication

Novel

* 2002 - ''

Blue Gate Crossing ''Blue Gate Crossing'' () is a 2002 Taiwanese film directed and written by Yee Chih-yen. It was screened at the Director's Fortnight section of the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for ''Best Asian Film'' at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Aw ...

'' ( 藍色大門) - Co-authored with Yee Chi-yen - NewRain Publisher - .

Eslite Bookstore Eslite Bookstore () is one of the largest retail bookstore chains in Taiwan. It also offers one of the largest selections of English-language publications and translation materials in Taiwan. Headquartered in Xinyi District, Taipei, the c ...

Feature Film

* 2002 - ''

'' ( 藍色大門) ''- Assistant Director'' * 2008 - ''Orz Boyz!'' (囧男孩) - Director, Screenwriter * 2012 - ''

'' ( 女朋友・男朋友) - Director, Screenwriter * 2017 - '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) - Director, Screenwriter

TV Series

* 2006 - '' Dangerous Mind'' (危險心靈)- Assistant Director - Taiwan Public Television Service * 2021 - ''The Magician on the Skywalk'' (天橋上的魔術師) - Director, Screenwriter - Taiwan Public Television Service

Mini Series

2001 * ''Farbidden Love'' (逆女) - Screenwriter -

Taiwan Television Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd. ( zh, t=臺灣電視公司, p=Táiwān Diànshì Gōngsī, poj=Tâi-ôan-tiān-sī-kong-si), commonly known as TTV and formerly known as Central Television and Voice of Taiwan, is the first terrestrial televisi ...

* ''Watching the Moon'' (看月娘) - Director, Screenwriter -

Chinese Television System The Chinese Television System Inc. () is a terrestrial television station in Taiwan and was founded in 1971. Recent milestones of the network are in sports events, including having the distinction to offer exclusive coverage of the 2017 Un ...

2002 * ''Wei zhang tian tang'' (違章天堂) - Director, Screenwriter -

Public Television Service Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (PTS Foundation/Public Television Service Foundation, ), also called Public Television Service (PTS, ), is the first independent public broadcasting institution in Taiwan, which broadcasts the Public Te ...

* ''The Pigeon King'' (鴿子王) - Director, Screenwriter -

2003 * ''Spring has Come'' (春天來了) - Director, Screenwriter -

Star Chinese Channel Star Chinese Channel () was a Taiwanese general entertainment television channel operated by The Walt Disney Company (Taiwan) Ltd. Its programming featured dramas, variety shows, lifestyle programs, and talk shows in Mandarin. Launched on 21 O ...

2004 * ''Guo Le Tian Qiao, Kan Jian Hai''/ (過了天橋，看見海) - Director, Screenwriter -

* ''Youth'' (青春) - Director, Screenwriter -

2005 * ''Domain of Murder'' (偵探物語) - Director -

2006 * ''Fortunately, We Are all still Here'' (還好，我們都還在這裡) - Director, Screenwriter -

* ''Lonely Game'' (寂寞的遊戲) - Director, Screenwriter -

2008 * ''No Practice Love Song'' (不愛練習曲) - Director, Screenwriter -

Film Awards Jury

* 50th

Golden Horse Film Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards () are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republ ...

- Shortlist and Finalist Jury * 55th

- Shortlist and Finalist Jury * 23th Taipei Film Festival Awards - Shortlist and Finalist Jury

Social Participation and Political Stance

* Supported the

New Power Party The New Power Party (NPP) is a political party in Taiwan formed in early 2015. The party emerged from the Sunflower Student Movement in 2014, and advocates for universal human rights, civil liberties, civil and political freedom, political libe ...

and the

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a centre to centre-left Taiwanese nationalist political party in Taiwan. As the dominant party in the Pan-Green Coalition, one of the two main political camps in Taiwan, the DPP is currently the ...

in the 2018 election * Advocates for the

Anti-Nuclear Movement The Anti-nuclear war movement is a new social movements, social movement that opposes various nuclear technology, nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified them ...

and the

Sunflower Movement The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a species of large annual forb of the daisy family Asteraceae. The common sunflower is harvested for its edible oily seeds, which are often eaten as a snack food. They are also used in the prod ...

's Anti-

Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement The Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement, commonly abbreviated CSSTA and sometimes alternatively translated Cross-Strait Agreement on Trade in Services, is a treaty between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) th ...

* Supports

with his short video campaign, ''Kadao tianwang'' (卡到天王) * Stands in Solidarity with the Wang Family against the Shilin District Wenlin Yuan Urban Renewal Project * Supports Anti-Media Monopoly Movement * Supports

Dapu Incident The Dapu incident was an eminent domain case in the village of Dapu (大埔), Zhunan, Miaoli, Taiwan (ROC). Historical background The power of eminent domain has been routinely abused in Taiwan for the sake of land speculation. The Miaoli county g ...

* At the 2017

Ceremony, Yang Ya-che supported the Labor Union Association and waved Indigenous Activist "No One is Outsider" towel on stage.

Awards and honors

Golden Bell Awards The Golden Bell Awards () is an annual Taiwanese television and radio production award presented in October or November each year by the Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, a division of Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), M ...

2001 * 36th Golden Bell Award for Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Farbidden Love'' (逆女) - Nominated 2002 * 37th Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Wei zhang tian tang'' (違章天堂) - Won * 37th Golden Bell Award for Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Wei zhang tian tang'' (違章天堂) - Won 2003 * 38th Golden Bell Award for Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Spring has Come'' (春天來了) - Nominated 2005 * 40th Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Youth'' (青春) - Nominated 2007 * 42nd Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Lonely Game'' (寂寞的遊戲) - Nominated * 42nd Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''Lonely Game'' (寂寞的遊戲) - Nominated 2008 * 43rd Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Miniseries or Television Film - ''No Practice Love Song'' (不愛練習曲) - Nominated 2021 * 56th Golden Bell Award for Best Directing for a Television Series - ''The Magician on the Skywalk'' (天橋上的魔術師) - Won * 56th Golden Bell Award for Best Writing for a Television Series - ''The Magician on the Skywalk'' (天橋上的魔術師) - Nominated

Taipei Film Awards The Taipei Film Awards () are given by the Taipei Film Festival The Taipei Film Festival (TFF; ) is a film festival promoted by the city of Taipei, Taiwan, through the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government. It was first ...

2008 * 10th Taipei Film Awards - Best Director of a Feature Film - ''Orz Boyz!'' (囧男孩) - Won 2012 * 14th Taipei Film Awards - Press Award - ''

'' ( 女朋友・男朋友) - Won 2018 * 20th Taipei Film Awards Best Screenplay - '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) - Won

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards () are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Repub ...

2008 * 45th Golden Horse Awards Best Original Screenplay - ''Orz Boyz!'' (囧男孩) - Nominated 2012 * 49th Golden Horse Awards Best Director - ''

'' ( 女朋友・男朋友) - Nominated * 49th Golden Horse Awards Best Original Screenplay - ''

'' ( 女朋友・男朋友) - Nominated 2017 * 54th Golden Horse Awards Best Director - '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) - Nominated * 54th Golden Horse Awards Best Original Screenplay - '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) - Nominated * 54th Golden Horse Awards Best Feature Film Drama - '' The Bold, the Corrupt, and the Beautiful'' (血觀音) - Won

Asia-Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific (FPA). The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first he ...

2012 * 55th Asia Pacific Film Festival Best Screenplay - ''

'' ( 女朋友・男朋友) - Nominated

References

External links

* *
Yang Ya-che
at Taiwan Cinema * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Ya-che 1971 births Living people Taiwanese film directors Taiwanese screenwriters Taiwanese LGBTQ screenwriters Taiwanese television directors LGBTQ film directors LGBTQ television directors