Yang had almost given up on film-making, resigned to being a computer
engineer instead, when he saw Herzog's Aguirre and was inspired to
carry on. Just as well, for he rapidly become a leading light of the
Taiwanese and South East Asian New Waves, emerging in the 1980s
alongside his compatriot Hou Hsaio-Hsien and Hong Kong's Wong
Kar-Wai. Yang's films are rooted in the specific question of what it
means to be Taiwanese, but their humanity is universal. A Brighter
Summer Day was his first to gain international recognition; A One And A
Two won best director and was a strong contender for best film at Cannes
2000.
