Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Bangkok 2018 from 30 August to 2 September
Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, Documentary Club, Thai Media Fund, and SF World Cinema present the first “Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Bangkok 2018” in Thailand to strengthen the relationship between Thailand and Taiwan as well as to share art, culture, history and lifestyle of Taiwanese people through films. This festival is based on the success of the documentary film project, a collaboration project between SF and Documentary Club which has continued for four years.
Eight documentary films will be screened with Thai and English subtitles during “Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Bangkok 2018” which will take place during August 30 – September 2, 2018 at SF World Cinema CentralWorld. Tickets are 160 baht each for a Deluxe Seat and 180 baht for a Premium Seat.
The eight highlight movies from Taiwan include “Small Talk”, a winner from Berlin International Film Festival this year.
Every morning, my mother wakes up well before me, prepares my lunch, and takes off. Every evening, after eating out, my mom comes home, washes up, closes her bedroom door, and is asleep by 9 PM. We live in the same space, my mother and I. But for decades now, we are like strangers under one roof. The only exchanges are the meals she cooks and leaves for me on our dining room table. No hellos, no goodbyes, and no “I love you.” Silence permeates our house as I watch her, knowing that beneath the deafening silence lies a secret that weighs heavily on her, keeping her from speaking; knowing that behind her tightly pursed lips is a shame so overbearing that it suffocates her. One day, I finally summon up the courage to sit her down and make her talk. My camera becomes a gateway and a tool in prying open the Pandora’s box and capturing my mother’s secrets. But am I ready to hear what she has to say? Are we ready to face what’s been buried for so long?
“Le Moulin” was the winner for Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Film Festival 2016, which is a leading film festival.
After forty years of Japanese colonial rule, Taiwan’s first modern art group, Le Moulin Poetry Society, emerged in the 1930s with their poetic protest against the colonial power’s cultural superiority. Regarding the Surrealists as their absolute role models, Le Moulin poets composed poetry in an uncompromising and sophisticated style to confront the turbulent era they lived in.
“Time Splits in the River” is a story about four artists who decide to invite their parents to play the parts of dissidents in 1980s Taiwan. To get prepared for the performance, the artists show the actors footage from that time, initiating the discussion of arts and politics. Although none of them were involved in the event, they are still caught up in the story as well as their own past.
“Sunflower Occupation” In 2014, when protesting against the Cross-strait Service Trade Agreement that was hastily approved, a group of protestors stormed into the Taiwanese parliament and occupied for 24 days. Why and how did it happen? What changes did the young generation go through?
After they stormed through the side door of the Legislative Yuan, it was like the door to a bottomless black hole was thrown open. The most eternal and fundamental question is: What is democracy? What is the government? What is violence? What is the future? What is the happiness we seek? Who are “we”?
“The Silent Teacher” In Taiwan, a dead body used for medical dissection is called “a silent teacher”. This film tells the story of Mrs LIN, whose body will be dissected the next year. In the dissection class, Mrs LIN, the “silent teacher” will definitely teach the medical students and her family more about the meaning of life.
Documentary films which will be screened include, “The Immortal’s Play” which is about life of a Chinese opera actress, “The Mountain” which is about a man who fights for his rights during the Imperialism period, and “Stranger in the Mountain” which is about the fight of the remaining descendants of the Kuomintang of China.
“Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Bangkok 2018” will take place during August 30 – September 2, 2018 at SF World Cinema CentralWorld. Tickets are 160 baht each for a Deluxe Seat and 180 baht for a Premium Seat. Check the showtime and purchase tickets on www.sfcinemacity.com and on SF Cinema application from August 15 onward. For more information, call SF Call Center 02-268-8888, visit www.sfcinemacity.com and www.facebook.com/Welovesf or go to the information counter at the cinema.