Edward Yang (Chinese: 楊德昌; pinyin: Yáng Déchāng; November 6, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a Taiwanese filmmaker. Yang, along with fellow auteurs Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, was one of the leading film-makers of the Taiwanese New Wave and Taiwanese Cinema. Yang's singular visual style has been defined by deliberate pacing, long takes, fixed camera, few closeups, empty spaces, and cityscapes. His films prominently feature themes of struggle between tradition and modernity, and between business and art, set against the backdrop of an evolving Taiwanese society.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 6, 1947
- June 29, 2007 (aged 59)
- 中国上海, Shanghai, Cina
- Director, writer, actor and composer
- 8 on MovieCove · 21 credits in all
What are Edward Yang's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 4 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 0 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Edward Yang's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on The Criterion Channel (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Edward Yang's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
21 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Wind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
The Trigger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Yi Yi(2000)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Jam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
First Love Unlimited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
New Middle Class RV - Fatty Doctor Edition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Mahjong(1996)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
A Confucian Confusion(1994)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Growth Period (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Likely Consequence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
A Brighter Summer Day(1991)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Terrorizers(1986)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Adult Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Taipei Story(1985)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
A Summer at Grandpa's(1984)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
That Day, on the Beach (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
The Winter of 1905 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
In Our Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Duckweed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Happy Single Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Career shape
A full career of 20 titles from 1981 to 2007.
Film career
- 1984Screen debut· A Summer at Grandpa's
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Edward Yang's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 95th percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 94th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 8 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved5
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 81/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Edward Yang's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Edward Yang work with?
People who share at least 2 of Edward Yang's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elaine Jin shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Hsiao-Hsien HouShared titles: Taipei Story (1985), A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Hsiao-Hsien Hou
- T'ien-wen ChuShared titles: Taipei Story (1985), A Summer at Grandpa's (1984)See all 2 shared titles with T'ien-wen Chu
Actors
- Elaine JinShared titles: Yi Yi (2000), Mahjong (1996), A Confucian Confusion (1994), A Brighter Summer Day (1991)See all 4 shared titles with Elaine Jin
- Nien-Jen WuShared titles: Yi Yi (2000), Taipei Story (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Nien-Jen Wu
- Su-Yun KoShared titles: Yi Yi (2000), Taipei Story (1985)See all 2 shared titles with Su-Yun Ko
- Chang ChenShared titles: Mahjong (1996), A Brighter Summer Day (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Chang Chen
Cinematographers and editors
- Po-Wen ChenShared titles: Mahjong (1996), A Confucian Confusion (1994), A Brighter Summer Day (1991)See all 3 shared titles with Po-Wen Chen
- Lung-Yu LiShared titles: Mahjong (1996), A Confucian Confusion (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Lung-Yu Li
- Chan ChangShared titles: A Confucian Confusion (1994), The Terrorizers (1986)See all 2 shared titles with Chan Chang
Producers
- Wei-Yen YuShared titles: Yi Yi (2000), Mahjong (1996), A Confucian Confusion (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Wei-Yen Yu