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Adventure of Styrofoam

To solve the problem of styrofoam, an adventure of beach cleanup in Penghu began. It started with a two-person studio and expanded to include many environmentalists. As they set foot on the small offshore islands to clean up beaches, challenges arose in the process. Is the carbon footprint generated during beach cleanup more environmentally unfriendly? How to deal with the piles of litter? These problems came as a great blow to them, just like waves crashing on the shore.

Adventure of Styrofoam

NR 2019
HOME SCHOOL

Here is only one chance in life, and the way of education has a profound impact on the future of children; letting children go to school at home is a challenge and an experiment that does not allow failure... This film visits four families who have completely different backgrounds but also choose to teach themselves. Through the sharing of experiences between their children and their parents, it presents the appearance of the phenomenon of self-study in Taiwan today. Is the pursuit of the happy growth of one's own children contradictory to the hope that the children will become a dragon and a phoenix? What kind of learning environment should we prepare for children? How do families with different backgrounds and children with different qualifications choose appropriate education methods? What is best for children?

HOME SCHOOL

NR 2013
The Other Side

After 30 years of Cold War confrontation between Taiwan and the mainland, people-to-people exchanges began in the 1980s, and the increasingly close economic, trade, and tourism exchanges over the past 30 years have roughly changed the external appearance of the two sides, but the internal alienation and mistrust have never diminished... Lao Ke, a businessman who failed to do business in Taiwan, put down his body and went to the mainland to serve as a Taiwanese officer, wanting to make a comeback. Lili, a working girl from the Mainland to Shenzhen, met her husband in Taiwan through the Internet and wanted to pursue a better life. They landed on the other side full of hope. Unexpectedly, the treacherous and changeable external situation and internal conflicts that appeared from time to time made the road to dream building extremely difficult.

The Other Side

NR N/A
False Fire: China's Tragic New Standard In State Deception

On January 23, 2001, in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) staged and directed a self-immolation of Falun Gong practitioners to seek success. Through logical reasoning and analysis, the film shows clearly that a government-directed "drama" and self-immolation occurred to resolve a situation in which Jiang Zemin, then leader of the Chinese Communist Party, was "in a difficult position" to suppress Falun Gong. In addition, the film tells the story of how Falun Gong practitioners came out one by one to tell the truth, but were brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party and tortured to death, but they did not give in and insisted on telling people the truth in a peaceful and rational manner. This spirit of perseverance and resilience in spite of life and death shook the audience to their core.

False Fire: China's Tragic New Standard In State Deception

NR 2019
The Mysterious Lanyu

In the 1970s, the wave of modernisation hit the Orchid Island (Lanyu). Warship Rock, Double Lion Rock, Lover’s Cave, the wisely and artistically designed tatala (traditional fishing boat), along with the Tao people’s amazing fishing skills were well-known by the public through the growing tourism, yet the small island of Lanyu and Tao people’s indigenous ways of life still remained a ‘spectacle’. When the documentary film crew arrived with curiosity and good intentions, what stories would they tell together?

The Mysterious Lanyu

NR 1981
An Introduction to the Actual Condition of Taiwan

"An Introduction to the Actual Condition of Taiwan" is the first film ever made in Taiwan. It was commissioned by the Japanese authorities to director Toyojirō Takamatsu (1872–1952) in 1907, twelve years after Japan occupied Taiwan, as a propaganda movie showing the progress of Taiwan under Japanese rule. The film is lost, but it is known from reviews in local newspapers that it featured a long staged scene of Japanese military repressing a revolt by Taiwanese indigenous people. The aboriginal theme reportedly occupied the longer part of the film. Others were devoted to depicting scenic locations, and the production of "exotic" goods such as bananas and coconuts. The film was criticized for presenting a romantic, exotic, and colonial view of Taiwan, ignoring its more modern industrial products and social problems.

An Introduction to the Actual Condition of Taiwan

NR 1907
Taiwan Equals Love

In 2016, the parties of the Taiwan Legislative Yuan submitted drafts on the marriage equality act but were confronted with anti-LGBTQ groups. Meanwhile, three pairs of same-sex partners are also facing their own family issues. Tien-Ming and Hsiang have been in love for more than 30 years, but their love is being tested with old-age and illness. Jovi and Mindy spend most of their time protesting for marriage equality, fighting for the rights of Jovi's daughter. Gu flew from Macau to live with Shinchi but is now struggling with finances and the pressure to come out to their parents...

Taiwan Equals Love

NR 2024
The Spirit Keepers of Makuta'ay

Yen-Chao Lin travelled along the east coast of Taiwan – an area characterized by its wild nature, colonization and population exodus. The Amis is the largest of many ethnic minorities in Taiwan officially recognised as indigenous peoples. In search of different spiritual practices belonging to the indigenous people of Makuta’ay, Yen-Chao Lin places the memories of the old Amis spirit keepers on an equal footing with the practices of Daoist rituals and Presbyterian burials, allowing personal prayers to resound and collective resistance to emerge. The Spirit Keepers of Makuta’ay was shot on Super 8 film and developed by the director by hand. The effects created during the development process add an additional layer of spiritual interpretation. A miniature, an essay, an impressionistic painting.

The Spirit Keepers of Makuta'ay

NR 2019
Farewell 1999

Farewell 1999 is a documentary that could move you to tears. Acclaimed director Wu Tai Ren takes viewers on a private and emotional journey contemplating the consequences of life and death, as she searches in her life for traces left by her late mother, who passed away four years ago. Wu captures her mournful self on film with a precise control over the narrative, trying to hold on to the memory of a loved one, while bidding farewell to the haunting sadness of death. Personal yet universal, the feelings conveyed in Farewell 1999 tug at the heartstrings as well as showcase Wu's talent that won her multiple international awards.

Farewell 1999

6.0 2003
Body War

One major focus of philosophical inquiry has been: how can individuals determine that their existence is not an illusion? However, for those enduring chronic immune diseases, reliance on life might paradoxically hinge on whether the pain is merely a dream. Inspired by the concept of khan-bông(a traditional taiwanese ritual) likening immune diseases to a prolonged battle against one's own body, the spirits of those who die in this war revisit fragments of their memories to re-examine and explore how life and existence coexist and find balance amid perpetual flux and instability.

Body War

NR 2024
No

In the short span of half a century after World War II, the remote island of Kinmen has witnessed numerous battles. Its people once supported the national army, enduring the battles and gunfire. Today, memories have faded, and those who personally experienced the fires of war, the Kinmen residents who walked through fearful and sorrowful times, are gradually passing away. For the post-war new generation, the memories of billowing smoke may be fading, but the island's shadows have never disappeared.

No

NR 2023
Braving the Peak

Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range features 138 peaks with altitudes exceeding 3,000m, stretching over 300 km from north to south. KU Ming-cheng and CHOU Ching, two trail runners with very different temperaments and a 30-year age gap, spend three years training and exploring with the aim of traversing the Central Mountain Range on foot. This documentary captures their record-breaking eight-day, 16-hour feat from the very beginning, traversing self-doubt and disagreements, to finally achieving their goal, every step resembling a peak of life marked by unwavering determination.

Braving the Peak

NR 2023
Divine Table in Daxin

The vigorous development of modern folk religion in Chiayi, combined with the lumber industry chain in the area, created an era where the art of crafting shrine tables flourished. However, times are constantly changing. How can Daxin Woodworking Co., which makes exquisite shrine tables, pass on the traditional art of crafting shrine tables and adapt to the declining market caused by the changing times? Learn about the perspectives and stories of Daxin Woodworking’s three generations of craftsmen, see the development of shrine tables in Chiayi City, and observe how they deal with the challenges of the modern era.

Divine Table in Daxin

NR 2023
Together, Stronger in the Rain

In 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Three years on, same-sex couples still face challenges that heterosexual couples do not: some have trouble becoming legal guardians for their children; others must travel abroad to start a family; some are even rejected when applying for legal marriage status. As such, legalization was just another small step forward in the fight for equality. This 90-minute documentary shows how different same-sex couples fight for the life they desire and deserve. They may be fighting different battles, but they share one thing in common: the belief that the sun will shine after this rain.

Together, Stronger in the Rain

NR 2023
/her/ - Island, Fog, God of Dreams

Through the lives of four generations of women on Matsu Island, this film traces how decades of militarised rule transformed the notion of impending war into a defining identity for an entire archipelago. Moving from an era of simple fishing livelihoods to the lived experiences at the height of the Cold War and into a contemporary mother-child relationship, the film weaves together intimate interviews that speculate on reconciling with a traumatic past and on uncertainties about the future. In one thread, a mother attempts to explain the meaning of war to her young daughter, a dialogue that encapsulates central questions of the film: how do personal stories bear witness to official history, and how does a new generation move forward from a loaded identity?

/her/ - Island, Fog, God of Dreams

7.0 2025
Wings for Takasago Giyutai

This is a story about the descendants of Takasago Giyutai (Taiwan Indigenous volunteer units during the Pacific War) went back to the battle field of the Pacific War in Papua New Guinea following the footsteps of their grandfathers, and made a monument based on a legend of ‘Amis people who believe the soul would return home by taking the wings of a certain kind of bird. The monument was build up at the Mission Hill in Wewak, where was a Japanese naval base during the War, there are two monuments, one of them was set up by the Japanese in 1969 and the other one was build up by the Australians afterwards. A monument is not only a way to memory the history, but also a cultural representation on the spiritual world, questioning that “do you believe the soul really have returned home by taking the wings?”

Wings for Takasago Giyutai

NR 2016
Chiayi's Taste of Time

Braised Delicacies is more than a flavor—it is a legacy shaped by three generations. Master Lin Shun-Cheng upholds traditional craftsmanship passed down from his father, while his apprentice Lai Yun-Chun brings innovation, and Lin's son works to meet his father's high standards. Though different in outlook, all three of them share deep respect for cooking. The film captures how craftsmanship and love quietly endure in this 80-year-old Chiayi establishment of food flavors.

Chiayi's Taste of Time

NR 2026
Drifting

Mr. Lin Song-ji, an Amis man from Hualien, lived a life that mirrors Taiwan’s history. His father was of Japanese descent. As a young man, he was forced to leave his homeland when the government pushed a forestry plan. He moved to the city to survive and spent years working as a driver, which kept him from forming a deep bond with his children. The home he built with his life’s effort now faces demolition due to urban development. His descendants cannot return to the mountains and struggle to survive in the city. Yet, they remain distant from him. In the end, he is left alone.

Drifting

NR 2025
The Mother’s Voice

A woman from Chiang Mai speaks in Thai, Mandarin, and Yunnanese. That is the voice I am the most familiar with, the one I first sensed and heard from within her womb. It is also my mother tongue. I chat with my mother about her family of origin and childhood memories. When we are not talking, I wander around the house, touching light and air. Those scents and traces of where my mother resides, along with the fleeting images of her presence, are my intimate gaze of her.

The Mother’s Voice

NR 2025
Dialogue Among Tribes

In 1987, as Taiwan had just lifted martial law, society and the economy were undergoing rapid transformation, and Indigenous peoples faced a wave of urban migration and labor relocation. An Amis man Du-Ya Pan Ming-fu, his childhood friend Duwake, a Kavalan artist, and Lai-Sa-Gai-Nu Tian Acheng in Xiangbi Village, have different but intertwined lives. Though the three men were compelled by economic hardship to leave their homes, they did not bow to fate nor choose to remain in the city forever. In an era when Indigenous peoples were overlooked, they each steadfastly confronted their identity and cultural values, forging life paths that intertwined in unique ways.

Dialogue Among Tribes

NR 2017
Formosa

Formosa depicts the landscapes, architecture, customs, culture, agriculture, natural scenery, Indigenous peoples, and colonial traces of Taiwan during the period of Japanese rule. It also reflects how the world at that time perceived and imagined Taiwan. This film is the earliest known surviving motion picture shot in and about Taiwan. This introductory documentary was donated as a duplicate print by the Netherlands Filmmuseum (now Eye Filmmuseum) in 1991. According to the museum’s records, the nitrate print dates to approximately 1922. However, based on the research of scholar Lee Daw-ming, the film may have been shot as early as 1917 by Herford T. Cowling. The exact date when the original positive film was produced and its subsequent whereabouts remain unknown. Formosa is preserved and presented by the Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute in 2025.

Formosa

5.0 1922
The Sea Breeze

The title of the film, "The Sea Breeze", is about the strong winds flowing from sea to the land. Also, it reflects the living style of people who live in Da-chih village. Over the labor, activities and conversations between the villagers, we can observe the relations between people and the natural environment. The film tries to illustrate the feelings of changing and remaining with long takes. Besides, the ecology and evolution of the old abandoned houses present the trace and texture of time and space, people and memories. Lifeless as they seem to be, they imply great power.

The Sea Breeze

NR 2024
Separation

"Separation" is an essay documentary that delves into the intricate relationship and conflicts between contemporary Taiwanese society and European and American values. This exploration takes place through the lens of three millennial Taiwanese artists who share their overseas experiences during the pandemic and post-pandemic era. Hsiao-Chu resides in New York, Shou-An in London, and Chen-Yi in Philadelphia, each offering a unique perspective on the evolving immigrant status, personal exploration of sexuality, and the artist's profound understanding of self and community.

Separation

NR N/A
The Vast Deep Blue Ocean

When Director Laway was small, his father began working as crew on fishing boats out of the port of Kaohsiung. All through his youth, Laway's mother took him by Kinmen bus from Taitung to Kaohsiung to visit his father every year or two. Amis people have worked on fishing boats for years, and such family visits were common in the years from 1940 to 1960. With permission granted in April of 2013, Director Laway picked up his camera to film six of the Amis crew members. He boarded a Taiwanese ocean-going ship on Bona Bei island - an American possession in the South Pacific. With this ship he followed a purse seiner for 20 days, filming the crew's hard work and difficult life. To conclude, how was Laway’s father able to get through twenty years of his working career as a crew member? The director's only assistant is the son of a photographer - Mayaw‧Laway

The Vast Deep Blue Ocean

NR 2015