Tom Lin Shu-yu

Thomas Lin Shu-yu (; born 1976) is a Taiwanese director and screenwriter. After the critical success of his first two features, Winds of September, for which he won Best Original Screenplay at the 45th Golden Horse Awards, and Starry Starry Night (2011), he has been considered a leading filmmaker of his generation. His films often deal with autobiographical elements.

Early life Lin attended elementary school in Twin Cities, Minnesota, where his father was conducting his doctorate research in American literature. He returned to Hsinchu, Taiwan, during his junior year to attend National Experimental High School, an experimental bilingual high school, despite not knowing any Mandarin. Lin later attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he studied under Thom Andersen.

Career After graduation, Lin returned to Taiwan, where he worked as an assistant director for filmmakers like Tsai Ming-liang, Cheng Wen-tang, and Zero Chou. with characters loosely inspired by his high school friends.

His fifth feature film, Yen and Ai-Lee (2024), is a collaboration with his wife Kimi Hsia and revolves around domestic violence. The film premiered at the 29th Busan International Film Festival, and received eight nominations at the 61st Golden Horse Awards.

His next film Life's a Struggle "宋岳庭传" is a musical biography about Taiwanese rapper Shawn "M80" Sung.

Style and influence Many of his films feature elements from Lin's life. His father is a professor at the National Tsing Hua University.

Filmography

Awards and nominations