TIDF on Tour opens in Taichung City

2015-04-13

Taiwan International Documentary Festival on Tour kicks off April 11 in Taichung City, underscoring government efforts to transform the country into an international hub for the increasingly popular film genre.

Organized by Taiwan Film Institute with support from the Ministry of Culture, the event features 130 screenings of 31 entries from 15 countries and territories, as well as seminars and speeches.

“Cultural, environmental, historical and social aspects of life captured in these documentaries from different locales serve as a wide window through which to see the world,” a TFI official said. “We hope the films will inspire audiences to reflect upon themselves and prompt broader discussion of the salient issues.”

Award-winning Films, one of the event’s six categories, showcases 11 awarded 2014 TIDF submissions, including grand prize winner “The Empire of Shame”—a South Korean production by director Hong Li-gyeong exposing the cover-up by Samsung Electronics of life-threatening illnesses suffered by employees at its semiconductor plants.

TIDF Selection features five films from diverse cultural backgrounds dealing with death, diaspora, identity, fascination and love, while Director in Focus: Alan Berliner and Retrospective: Shinsuke Ogawa pay tribute to two of the most important documentary filmmakers in the U.S. and Japan.

In Stranger than Documentary, six unusual shorts portary people in various situations in the contemporary world. These include a film on the student occupation of the ROC Legislature in 2014, and one about a deserted development project in the mainland Chinese city of Ordos.

Reel Taiwan 1951-1965, comprising four propaganda pieces aimed at promoting household hygiene and enhancing agricultural production, offers viewers a glimpse into a unique period of Taiwan.

The event runs until April 19 in Taichung before moving to Hualien County, Yilan County, Tainan City, Hsinchu City and Kaohsiung City in that order until Aug. 20.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=229169&CtNode=413)