競賽類－亞洲觀點

Taipei 101:A Travelogue of Symptoms

In "Taipei 101: A Travelogue of Symptoms", an Asian American encounters the semblance operations of Americanization on a pilgrimage to Taiwan. He discovers that Taipei 101-currently the world's tallest building- Taiwan's culture, and his own consciousness are indelibly marked by globalization, America, capitalism, and the transitional power of white men. Just as masks protect individuals from SARS, censored remarks shield the sensitive viewer from possibly political incorrect offenses and symptoms.

This Day

A product of three years of research on the circulation of images in the Middle East, "This Day" is a geographical and internal trip across borders. It uses video and photography to communicate the states of mobility and closure in the contemporary divided geography of the region. In his working space, the video maker studies his first images, notes and recordings taken during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, against other invading images, trying to understand the mechanism of image production in a state of war.

From the Land of Bitter Tears

Liu-Ming's father died in 1995 in an accidental explosion of a bombshell left by the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII. The debt left by his father's unsuccessful medical treatments left the teenage Liu-Ming no choice but to drop out of high school to work. Li Quan was a victim of the Japanese military's poison gas when he touched a mysterious container while working on a ship at the age of 29. Blisters covered his body and his genitals and internal organs were injured. Still suffering from serious aftereffects, he has fallen to a life of extreme poverty and twice attempted suicide.

A Flood In Baath Country

This documentary is director Amiralay's criticism of the devastating effect of 35 years of rigid Baath party rule on Syrian society. The Syrian made documentary critical of the Damascus regime has been applauded on its first showing in Lebanon- a country still dominated by its powerful neighbor- but attacted elsewhere in the Arab world as part of a Zionist plot, a plot against Arab nationalism. The camera moves slowly from school students to teachers and government officials, with everyone reciting the exact same praises for the president and slogans glorifying the Baath party.

Paradise Lost

Arab Israeli filmmaker Ebtisam MARA'ANA grew up in Paradise (Fureidis in Arabic), a small fishing village overlooking the Mediterranean, one of the few Arab villages remaining after the 1948 War. Today, it is a place defined by silence and repression - a village whose men are unemployed, whose women tend to household chores, and where the Islamic Movement builds its strength among disheartened youngsters. As the director attempted to recreate the lost history of her village, she was met with strong resistance from family and friends.

The Moments

Due to difference within the structure of society, the behavior of individuals will manifest great divergence. From a given person's behavior, it is possible to directly apprehend the social information that emanates from within. One could say that a moment is nothing less than a slice, or even the quintessence of social information. "In life, you will experience many unforgettable moments, some lingering in your mind for long periods of time.

Price of Letter

The documentary follows the postal runner's letter delivery path track in the Greater Himalayas of Bhutan. Through him, the documentary introduces the yak-rearing community of Lingshi, people who live in a pristine environment. Life is difficult yet peaceful, with just the bare necessities. Despite the odds, the risk involved, and the tiring ascents and descents of the hight mountains and valleys, the postal runner will continue until retirement. Given the choice, it's home that's best, even if it takes four days to get there.

Journeys

What does it mean to be part of a desperate crowd of seven million commuters, to whom the journey between home and workplace is a nightmare? In Mumbai (Bombay), a city of 15 million people, as nearly 4,000 people are killed every year as they fall off of trains or are run over on the tracks. The film uses sound and visual juxtapositions to actively build a montage of this surreal world. The film juxtaposes this tragic situation with mainstream discourses on progress and military power.

Happy Chinese New Year

"Ever since I can remember, I have spent almost every Chinese New Year here. Every Chinese New Year, from early morning until noon, the same people come and go like the tide, but they seem like a lonely islet in a flowing river, silently planted in place, never growing old." This movie is a record of these people and at the same time a self-examination.

Happy Berry

Independent filmmaker Pansittivorakul follows the ups and downs, loves and jealousies of a group of young Thais who run the "Happy Berry" boutique and design its clothes in Bangkok. They chase after pop music ambitions but find their clothes are more popular than their singing. Plunging right into their lives, Pansittivorakul explores their intimacies and sexualities and failed music ambitions. He probes how people can work, sleep and live together 24/7 in this insider look into a rarely seen slice of Thai life.