"Crystal Boys," the first film to explore homosexuality in Taiwan, is being digitally remastered almost 40 years after its release.
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00:00 [Music]
00:06 A wanderer lost in the Taipei night, with nowhere to call home.
00:11 This is a scene from the film Crystal Boys.
00:14 It depicts the lives of gay men in conservative 1970s Taiwan.
00:19 It was the first film about homosexuality to hit the big screen in the country.
00:24 It's being digitally remastered ahead of its 40th anniversary in 2026.
00:29 The new cut will include all the scenes that didn't pass film censors during its first run.
00:35 The film crew hopes it will give a new generation a glimpse into Taiwan's history.
00:40 [Speaking Chinese]
00:59 The author of the novel on which the film is based announced the start of the digital remastering project.
01:06 Bai Xianyong is a pioneering writer on homosexuality in Taiwan.
01:10 Published in 1983, the Crystal Boys novel has also been adapted for TV and the stage.
01:17 Bai believes that art has helped gay rights progress in Taiwan,
01:21 and that this trend is likely to continue elsewhere.
01:25 [Speaking Chinese]
01:45 The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute said it expects to finish remastering Crystal Boys by October,
01:52 just in time for this year's Pride celebration in Taiwan.
01:56 Kama Hsu and Yu-Jin Huang for Taiwan Plus.
01:59 class.
01:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]