A FOLEY ARTIST is a look at the behind-the-scenes work of Hu Ding-yi, the master Foley artist in Taiwan, whose inventiveness of the sound effects makes it easy to lose ourselves in the daydream on the screen but doesn’t save him from facing a career crisis. Following the daily life of Hu Ding-yi, Director Wan-Jo Wang celebrates and evokes the “spirit of craftsmanship” of the unsung artist who worked in the oldest Taiwanese movie company, Central Motion Picture, since 1975 and devoted 40 years of his life to the film industry, doing Foley for 70 films, and tried to pass on his knowledge on to the younger generations. By chronicling the triumphs and hardships faced by the Foley artists who struggled with tenacity against the fact that their job has been gradually replaced by the arrival of digital sound effects, the documentary further extends to give a broader perspective of the development of the entire Chinese-speaking film industry in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, shedding light on the often forgotten sound wizards of Foley – an art in and of itself. (source: AAIFF)
