A series of events that spotlight Taiwan are taking place at the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema (FICA) running through Feb. 13 in the eastern French city of Vesoul, the Ministry of Culture said Feb. 5.
According to MOC, the events are jointly staged by the Taiwan Cultural Office in Paris and the festival’s organizer to celebrate the two entities’ 30th anniversaries. During the FICA’s Feb 6 opening night, the organizer presented the Cyclo d’Or d’honneur to Taiwan filmmakers Tu Du-Chih and Zero Chou for their contributions.
The ministry said the 19 Taiwan films at the festival document the country’s cinematic history through political and social developments. The films include Raining in the Mountain directed by King Hu; The Great Buddha+ by Huang Hsin-yao; Vive l’Amour by Tsai Ming-liang; and Untold Herstory by Chou.
The offerings take viewers through Taiwan’s martial law period from 1949 to the 1987 when movies had to undergo strict government censorship; then the New Wave Cinema movement over the following two decades as the country transformed into a democracy; and finally to global fame achieved by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang and Ang Lee in recent years, the MOC added.
A roundtable is scheduled for Feb. 9, Lunar New Year’s Eve, coordinated by movie critic Flavien Poncet and including FICA founders Martine and Jean-Marc Therouanne, Taiwan filmmakers Chou and Laha Mebow, and French film critic Wafa Ghermani and director Jean-Robert Thomann.
Created in 1995, FICA aims to present the French city and promote Asian cinema, enhance intercultural dialogue and encourage discovery of other cultures through the art. It is the longest running film festival of its kind in Europe, and attracts around 30,000 participants every year. (SFC-E)
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