A total six classic and newly produced Taiwan films are being screened at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival running Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, with one of the works nominated for the event’s Best Asian Future Film Award.
Drama “Alifu, the Prince/ss” will compete for the prize established to foster the development of Asian cinema. The movie by Wang Yu-lin explores issues including cultural norms, gender and sexuality through the fictional tale of Alifu, the son and heir of an indigenous tribal chief who identifies as a woman and intends to undergo reassignment surgery.
The other films set to be showcased at TIFF include two classics, 2000 martial arts masterpiece “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” by Oscar-winning Taiwan-born director Ang Lee and 1995 period drama “Super Citizen Ko” by Wan Jen. The out-of-competition Taiwan lineup also features three works released in 2017—documentary “A Foley Artist” by Wang Wan-jo, dark comedy “The Great Buddha+” by Huang Hsin-yao and horror comedy “Mon Mon Mon Monsters” by Giddens Ko.
“Super Citizen Ko” tells the story of a man arrested for participating in political activities in the 1950s during the martial law period in Taiwan and his journey 30 years later to come to terms with his physical and mental scars. “A Foley Artist” is a biographical documentary of Hu Ding-yi, one of the nation’s foremost sound effects artists.
“The Great Buddha+,” centering on a security guard at a Buddha statue factory and his friend, examines the contrasting lives of the rich and poor. “Mon Mon Mon Monsters” follows a nerdy high school student who teams up with three bullies for a quest to capture a sinister supernatural monster.
Demand for tickets to the Taiwan screenings has been strong, with many of them almost sold out, according to the festival website. In total, TIFF will feature more than 200 films from around the world as well as a host of seminars, symposiums and workshops. (KWS-E)
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