Eight Taiwan-produced films and documentaries will be streamed online for U.S. audiences Oct. 21-29 during the inaugural Taiwanese Film Week organized by Washington-based think tank Global Taiwan Institute, according to Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.
Sponsored by TECRO and Spotlight Taiwan as part of the Taiwan Academy Contact Points Project under the Ministry of Culture, the event aims to highlight Taiwan culture while promoting the country’s talented filmmakers, TECRO said.
One of the highlights is “Detention,” a psychological horror set during the White Terror era of suppression and prosecution of political dissidents that occurred while Taiwan was under martial law from 1948 to 1987. As two students find themselves trapped in their high school overnight, they slowly learn the shocking truth about their fate.
“The Great Buddha,” a dark comedy that follows the exploits of a security guard and recyclables collector in a voyeuristic netherworld, bagged five prizes including best adapted screenplay, cinematography and director at the 2017 Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan’s equivalent of the Oscars.
The lineup also includes “The Bold, the Corrupt and the Beautiful,” a thriller depicting a merciless matriarch and her family business that won best feature film at the 2017 Golden Horse Awards; “Wansei Back Home,” a documentary about Japanese people born in Taiwan during colonial rule (1895-1945); and “Small Talk,” a short piece exploring the relationship between the heterosexual director and her homosexual mother, a Taoist priestess. (SFC-E)
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