Edward Yang, whose critically acclaimed work about urban life in modern Taiwan culminated in a best director award at the Cannes Film Festival for One and Two (2000), died on June 29 of colon cancer at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 59.

Yang was born in Shanghai, China on November 6, 1947. His family moved to Taiwan when he was very young during the Chinese civil war. Although he started out concentrating on engineering for his academic studies (he received a master's degree from the University of Florida in 1974), he was briefly enrolled in a film course at USC before dropping out.

He relocated to Seattle and rekindled his love of film, particularly the avant-garde filmmaking of Werner Herzog, which was a far cry from the commercialism being taught at USC. He turned to screenwriting and eventually directed an acclaimed short Desires for a popular omnibus feature, In Our Time (1982).

It led to a career that was brief, but occasionally brilliant. Among his films: That Day, on the Beach (1983), Taipei Story (1985), The Terrorizer (1986), the glorious period piece about teenage Chinese immigrants in Taiwan A Brighter Summer Day (1991), A Confucian Confusion (1994), Mahjong (1996) and of course, the internationally acclaimed study of a Taiwanese family One and Two (2000).

Despite this seemingly limited output, Yang wonderfully conveyed social issues, domestic life and a study of east meets west culture clash though comedy and drama; his thrillingly twisted narrative structures and intricate dialogue, plus his ability to handle large ensemble casts with assured confidence all made his contributions to international cinema a very impressive one.

Sadly, he had been diagnosed with cancer for several years, and he recently relocated to Southern California for treatment. He was working on an animated film project before his untimely death. He is survived by his wife, concert pianist Kaili Peng; a son, Sean; brother, Robert; and a sister, Li.

by Michael T. Toole