A protest doc, a lesbian Taoist mother, a portrait of a dissident group, a woman who will become a teacher when she's dead -- these are some of the titles to be shown at the "Taiwan Documentary Film Festival In Bangkok 2018", which begins tomorrow at SF CentralWorld.
Hosted by the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, Documentary Club, Thai Media Fund and SF World Cinema, the doc fest showcases the riches of stories from the island, and a means to strengthen the relations between Thailand and Taiwan as well as to share art, culture, history and lifestyles of Taiwanese people through film.
Eight documentary films will be screened with Thai and English subtitles. The opening film tomorrow is Small Talk, an acclaimed documentary and Taiwan's representative to the Oscars last year. The festival runs until Sept 2. Tickets are 160 and 180 baht. Call 02-268-8888, or visit sfcinemacity.com and facebook.com/Welovesf.
Small Talk
A family documentary in which the director films her own mother, a spirit medium who harbours a secret about her sexuality. Intimate, searing and revealing, this is one of the most acclaimed documentaries in the past few years.
Le Moulin
The film was the winner for Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Film Festival 2016. After 40 years of Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan's first modern art group, Le Moulin Poetry Society, emerged in the 1930s with their poetic protest against the colonial power's cultural superiority. Regarding the Surrealists as their absolute role models, Le Moulin poets composed poetry in an uncompromising and sophisticated style to confront the turbulent era they lived in.
Time Splits In The River
A story of four artists who decide to invite their parents to play the parts of dissidents in 1980s Taiwan. To get prepared for the performance, the artists show the actors footage from that time, initiating a discussion of art and politics. Although none of them were involved in the events, they are still caught up in the story as well as their own past.
Sunflower Occupation
In 2014, when protesting against the Cross-strait Service Trade Agreement that was hastily approved, a group of protesters stormed into the Taiwanese parliament and occupied the complex for 24 days. What changes did the young generation go through?
Stranger In The Mountains
During the Chinese Civil War, some Kuomintang forces retreated over the borders of Thailand and Myanmar. Following international pressure, most of these troops were evacuated to Taiwan in 1961, yet some remained. In northern Thailand and in central Taiwan, the two groups shared a similar destiny. Now, over 50 years later, their differences emerge and their next generation struggles with its identity.
The Silent Teacher
In Taiwan, a dead body used for medical dissection is called "a silent teacher". This film tells the story of Mrs Lin, whose body will be dissected the next year. In the dissection class, Mrs Lin, the "silent teacher", will definitely teach the medical students and her family more about the meaning of life.
The Mountains
While Taiwan has lived under different colonial rule for hundreds of years, the island also has been home to several groups of indigenous people. While each occupier left their footprint on this island, only these indigenous people experienced them all. Through the life of a Truku elder, we see the history of the aboriginal recertification movement.
The Immortal's Play
The story of a Chinese opera actress.
