2021

Chin-song and Xiao-shah's Wedding Plaza

Chin-song and Xiao-shah are getting married. The joyous couple’s loving confessions and their aspirations in life are captured in close-up shots. Juxtaposing the interior shots of the newlyweds’ apartment with rooftop views, the director also depicts how they react when confronted with domestic and financial realities. When documenting the life of Chin-song, a fellow male cameraman, director LEE Meng-zhe returns from scenes of social activism to reflection and exploration of the self.

Professor Chu's Summer Homework: The Struggle of Women Workers at Ban-Chiao Clothing Factory

In June 1992, the management of Jia-long Clothing closed down its domestic factory to transfer its capital and manufacturing department to Indonesia, right after its labour union in Taiwan was formed. The employer, CHU Ying-long, then a professor at the National Taiwan University, refused to provide statutory severance pay for the 130-plus women workers thrown into unemployment. The desperate workers decided to take to the streets. We pay tribute to director LEE Meng-zhe, who passed away in 2018, with the screening of this prominent Taiwanese labour documentary of the 1990s.

Legends of the Sun Moon Lake

Legend has it that the fish in the Sun Moon Lake was transformed from a white deer, and it’s why indigenous people started to eat fish. A large serpent living inside an ancient camphor tree was said to be the guardian of the lake. Also famous are the Buddhist relics of the monk Xuanzang enshrined in the eponymous Temple, and the over 400 peacocks kept in the local bird park... Here, intriguing folktales keep unfolding one after another.

When Mullet Come (Digital Restoration)

The grey mullet is known for its roe, a beloved delicacy in Taiwan. Every year around the winter solstice, schools of grey mullet migrate south to spawn. When the cold current hits Taiwan, so comes the grey mullet. In order to catch the precious ‘black gold’ at dawn, local fishermen set out in the thick mist and follow the mullet in the dark. This documentary focuses on the mullet industry and captures the 300-year-old tradition of mullet fishing.

Heroes with No Name: Coal Miners in Ruifang

Situated in the hills leading down to the coast, Ruifang used to pride itself on its coal mining industry. Every morning, miners from surrounding neighbourhoods gathered here to put on their gears and got into the minecarts, heading underground into pitch darkness. They worked non-stop in challenging conditions of high stress and high temperature, providing Taiwan with an indispensable source of energy. This documentary celebrates the miners’ contribution, but also stirred up controversy due to its inaccurate report of their wages.

Gold for the Gods

Zhonggang, a former commercial harbour in Miaoli County once suffering from sedimentation and decline, thrived again with its joss paper (ghost money) industry. Almost every family was part of it: Different generations worked together, attaching gold foils and stamping the paper in red ink, before sending it to dry. When massive stacks of golden joss paper basked in the sun, the town seemed to be covered in dreamy golden waves.

New Paradise

A group of Pangcah people left their homeland in the eastern Taiwan to seek jobs on the western coast. They drifted from one construction site to another, until they finally settled on a temporarily unclaimed clearing behind a university, building a community far away from home. Despite the instability of work and earnings, they lived life to the fullest catching fish, growing vegetables, singing and dancing, even electing leaders of their community in this 'new paradise'.

A Day at the Central Market (Digital Restoration)

When Taipei is still quiet and asleep, trucks after trucks emerge in the dark with fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood and meat. Intermediate wholesalers' auction chants rise and fall; the Central Market is getting ready to feed the city's population. The film offers a glimpse into the lively hustle and bustle of the Market in the 1970s, but was likely banned from broadcast due to its perceived display of the unhygienic conditions.

The Dragon Boat Festival

The riverbanks are dotted with food stalls and buzzing with the parasol-holding crowd. Everyone is here to watch the exciting dragon boat race. Voice-over narration in melodic Taiwanese describes pre-festival preparation, and the celebrations and rituals in various parts of Taiwan. Through carefully-crafted script and well-executed camerawork, this documentary gives a vibrant portrait of ordinary people’s lives in a festive atmosphere.

The Twilight of Tamsui (Digital Restoration)

A train rolled into Tamsui, a charming harbour town full of historical and cultural complexity. European-style architecture tells its colonial past, while Fujianese immigrants' influence stays present in local people's everyday life. Celebrated photographer and cinematographer CHANG Chao-tang captured Tamsui in the 1970s on film, creating a nostalgic yet melancholic concerto played by missionaries, fishermen, and tourists.

You are here