2020 Taiwan International Queer Film Festival kicked off Sept. 5, highlighting gender equality and human rights issues on the silver screen.
Organized by Kaohsiung City-headquartered Taiwan International Media and Education Association with the support of the Ministry of Culture, TIQFF features 24 titles playing in Taipei and Taoyuan Cities in northern Taiwan, Taichung City in central Taiwan and Tainan City in southern Taiwan.
Running until Oct. 18, TIQFF comprises documentaries, narrative features and shorts from Taiwan and other countries such as Australia, France, India, Iran, Israel, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, South Africa and the U.S.
The opening movie, “Your Name Engraved Herein” by homegrown director Patrick Liu is based on a personal high school experience one year after Taiwan lifted martial law in 1988.
Liu said he hopes the journey of self-discovery will encourage viewers to stay true to themselves.
Other TIQFF highlights include virtual interviews with 14 participating directors. The organizer believes these will help cinephiles better understand the rationale behind the creations, as well as boost lineup appeal with local audiences.
TIQFF, established in 2014, is dedicated to presenting films on LGBTQ issues as part of efforts promoting quality cross-culture themes while raising Taiwan's profile in the international cinema market. (TYT-E)
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