EP23｜The Power of Cross-Border Imagery — Malaysian Director Liang De-Hui on The Great Artist, Reshaping the Future of Asian Narrative through Cinema

Professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Shih Hsin University and a board member of ALEA, challenging a nation's narrative boundaries through the lens

[Taipei] In Episode 23 of The Great Artist, the podcast by DE Global Art Agency, we welcome up-and-coming Malaysian director Liang De-Hui. He currently serves as a professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Shih Hsin University, and is also a board member of the Association de la Lueur Éclairante de l'Art (ALEA). In this episode, he shares his creative conviction of using imagery as a weapon to challenge sensitive issues and reshape Asian narrative.

"Making a 'sensitive' film is not easy, but I believe that imagery can give voice." So says Liang De-Hui. His graduation work, First Choice, boldly turned the lens toward one of the most sensitive issues in Malaysian higher education, completing this courageous work from a neutral and restrained perspective. The film not only won the New Taipei City Student Image Rising Star Award but was also nominated for numerous international film festivals, proving that sincere and courageous creation can ultimately transcend borders and earn recognition.

Liang De-Hui's work is not merely personal creative expression but also a challenge to a nation's narrative boundaries. In a complex environment where politics and education are difficult to disentangle, how did he raise funds, how did he persevere, and how did he complete the work from a neutral perspective? This solitary courage of creation is the core that this episode explores in depth. Through his own experience, he illustrates that for a creator who wishes to touch society's sensitive nerves, what is needed is not only talent but also exceptional courage and steadfast conviction.

Conversely, his learning experience in Taiwan has enriched Liang De-Hui's understanding and visual expression of his homeland's local issues. His cross-border journey of study and creation has allowed him to step beyond a single cultural perspective and examine Malaysia's social issues with a more macroscopic, more pluralistic gaze. This cross-cultural vision has become the most precious nourishment of his creation, lending his work both local depth and international breadth.

In this episode, Liang De-Hui also speaks with foresight about his vision of "cinema as a nation's soft power." He believes that cinema is not merely entertainment or art, but an important vehicle for a nation's cultural influence. He holds profound expectations for the future of Asian narrative, hoping to use the power of imagery to make Asia's voice on the international stage louder and more authentic.

Bearing the dual identity of professor and ALEA board member, Liang De-Hui embodies precisely the academic legitimacy and international career that The Great Artist emphasizes—taking the academy as root and the international as path, and using the weight of the lens to leave the most authentic footnote for the times.

The Great Artist EP23 is now available on Apple Podcasts, SoundOn, and other platforms, with each episode running approximately 31 minutes. You are warmly invited to listen to Liang De-Hui's vision of reshaping Asian narrative through imagery.