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In November, 2008, Chen Yun-lin visited Taiwan, a critical moment in history where the first official Chinese envoy to ever step on Taiwan soil in 60 years. Meanwhile, Taiwan people's freedom of speech and personal liberty were severely suppressed by the state apparatus. Student protesters assembled via internet networking all over the place, to voice their anger at the abuse of their common value. In the course of the struggle, suspicion arises among members of the movement due to ideological differences and distrust. They are engrossed in activism, schoolwork, active citizenship, politics, passion and self-reflection. Here in Taipei, in this square, in their twenties.

2012／HD／Color／19min／

There are more than 320 thousand migrant workers legally hired in Taiwan, among them more than half are from Thailand. To these migrant workers, working abroad in Taiwan is a risky gamble. If they win, they can pay back large amount of brokerage fee and earn some money to support their families. The three Thai workers from northeastern Thailand in this film, however, weren't so lucky. The electronic factory that they'd been working was suddenly closed down. The owner of the factory simply said that he could not afford to pay the salaries of the 100 domestic workers and 100 migrant workers. The Thai workers were eventually deported back to Thailand after fighting futilely for their rights with other migrant and domestic workers. Their dreams of earning money were totally shattered. Some of them were deeply in debt. Would they give up their hopes in earning money from working abroad because of their bad experiences in Taiwan?

The story of two girls, Alice Zhang and Fan Chung Graham, who grew up together in Taiwan in the 60s and dreamt of pursuing math.

Taiwan Unsung "Hero" is not a hero with superpowers, but one who bravely transcends themselves and faces difficulties in life. They are not famous idol and maybe their life stories are different than you, but you might find some sparkling moment through the film and encourage you facing the difficulties.

West Island lies south of Penghu, under a square kilometre in size. At its peak, around 200 people lived here, but by 1999, only few remained. It's uncertain if their departure was coincidental. Both the island and its inhabitants have faded into obscurity.

Moms are unsung superheroes. They work 24/7, 365 days a year, with no paid time off. They take care of household chores, look after their children, try to finish their graduate degree, and maintain a marital relationship. Twenty-four hours a day is hardly enough for them. Writer-director-mother Chuan-Ying Liao uses a GoPro camera to record eight days of her life as mother.

Every December to January, almost a hundred squid fishing boats from Ch'ien-chen Fishing Harbor in Kaohsiung will sail from East 120 to West 60 to work at Falkland Islands in the South West Atlantic. The sailing takes 35-40 days and crew members named it "waterway." January 1st, 2015, a 65 meter long, 11 meter wide fishing boat began its journey to Falkland island. This is a documentary about 60 crew members from south-east Asia to work far away from Taiwan.

How does a piece of sugar taste of history?⁣ A century ago, in Erlin, a land susceptible to winds and floods, the Erlin Sugarcane Farmers' Association was born. It was Taiwan's first modern organization to advocate for farmers. They held lectures and established rural schools, but ultimately faced imprisonment.⁣ A century later, many have forgotten this history. On the crimson monument at the site of the incident, only the faded inscription "Erlin Sugarcane Farmers" is visible, reflecting against distant chimneys.⁣ What kind of future awaits Erlin's rural villages? Looking back at history, what can we learn?⁣ "Before Crystallization" tells the story of how people were treated before sugarcane became a symbol of sweetness.⁣ "Before Crystallization" discusses what efforts we still need to make before memory becomes a collective identity.⁣ Let the Erlin Sugarcane Farmers' Association lead the way, as we travel through time together and begin a century of reflection.⁣

Before the pandemic, I did a series of street shoots in Wanhua, a place out of my comfort zone. Then, I got Covid-19. During the quarantine, I looked back at the photos, wondering if the people are doing well or not. I seemed to have a shared time with them, so I returned to Wanhua with the question: Do you know where is Zhen Zhen now? I let the residents tell their stories.

Upon discovering her uncle's lost kung fu film, the filmmaker travels to Taiwan during Ghost Month to uncover his past.

This film is like a person standing naked in the middle of a square, covered in wounds, holding up a sign that says “Free Hug.” Many people come to embrace him, and he embraces many in return. Yet this does not mean that those who embrace him are unscarred—it is only that they are clothed. — Director Zhang Yu

My father often jokes that he's both a police officer and a hunter. While he has a busy job, he always returns to the tribe on his days off— to check traps, clear the water source, and weed the land.This film documents the time we spent together at the mountain spring. Step by step, he passed on his knowledge of the forest to me. I came to realize that he was trying to hand down the wisdom of my grandfather — how he drew water and lived in harmony with the land.

A documentary short about a man constructed facial mask map during the pandemic.

This thought-provoking documentary explores how the Chinese government limits freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Through extraordinary cases from the arrest of Beijing-based artist HUA Yong and the disappearances of five booksellers in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay to controversial scandals involving celebrities CHOU Tzu-yu and Leon DAI, director Kevin H.J. LEE and Lulu LU argue that even ordinary Taiwanese citizens may not be as politically and economically free from Beijing’s influence as they like to believe.

At the end of 2023, my sister, living with schizophrenia for fifteen years, received her first electroconvulsive therapy. Watching her in the ambulance, I wondered: as she and I drift apart and our parents age, how long can I keep turning away—and how should I see her now?

After WU’s arrival in New Zealand, WU has been trying to take a photo of the starry night sky every day with his phone, whether or not it was clear. The star photos can be interpreted as diaries. Using a 16mm Bolex camera to film the stars frame by frame with long exposure. Exposure time was determined by the mind. These uneven pulsations of lights correspond to the starlight changing along with the thoughts that were at mind. This film documents WU’s everyday ritual of star-gazing with the related associations and inspirations and forms a meditative process.

Upcoming Hugh J. Service Taiwan Documentary.

Bing-kun Su is destined to be a name that will be mentioned repeatedly in Taiwan's judicial history after the year 1986. Being in the environment of martial law, his family and career were destroyed overnight due to the flaws of judicial judgment. As the vindicator with the longest period of unjust imprisonment in Taiwan's history, Su was constantly dragged down by the injustice, together with his family. The lives of his wife and four children were turned upside down by this tragedy, forcefully changing their goal of life into "the reversal of Su's injustice case". The seemingly peaceful not-guilty justice buries the family's choice of life, with all these hidden costs that judicial compensation can never pay off, casting shadows over S and his family for a whole lifetime.

The film explores the leadership system in lives of chiefs such as Rangalu who was sworn in as the Head of Santiman District, Taiwan, which consists of 10 villages with the population of 70,000, most of whom are indigenous Paiwan. The Paiwan people live in the mountain area of southern Taiwan. Their rich oral traditions and cultural traits are revealed in this unique film. The two director, Daw-ming Lee and Sakuliu Pavaavalung, exchange their views on political and economic issues.

In this documentary by the writer Lin Shuangbu, the passionate and busy sports spirit is expressed in many short cuts. The free entry and exit of time and space is close to the expression style of the stream of consciousness, and he expresses his life background, social movement, literary philosophy and growth background concisely and neatly. Of course, the technique of screen transition and fade-in is also extremely smooth and vivid. There is a sense of reality of video reporting, and the revolutionary character of social movement in pursuit of truth is also hidden in the editing features.

"Mazu" or "The Sea God" has been the most important religious belief of ordinary people in my hometown for four hundred years. Along the coast of China and even in the Nanyang region, there is at least one temple dedicated to Mazu in various seaside cities-this geographical and historical distribution coincides with the contemporary economic or industrial area of Chinese society. It is frustrating that rapid economic development has led to global warming. The factories located on the coast of southern China from all over the world will eventually cause flooding and inundate these temples dedicated to Mazu. This is indeed a very ironic discovery for our civilization, "We", not only Chinese or all human beings, now or in the past, how can we Chinese avoid this upcoming tragedy?

The Good Daughter is a portrait of the fraught marriage between a Taiwanese man and his Vietnamese bride. Born out of a disabled man's wish to obey his mother and a woman's effort to help her family escape poverty, the marriage has produced two daughters and a complicated drama. The film takes us inside a household simmering with tensions.

[Installation Art Decade Series-Crossing Huashan Wall (History, Ready-made Objects 1998) The Huashan Winery in Taipei City was designated as the first installation art exhibition of the Art and Cultural Special Zone. The background of abandoned factories and warehouses brings a special atmosphere to the film and is also fully utilized by artists.]

One day after watching a film festival movie, I (the author) said to Chin-Chieh: "If there's nothing serious, I would like to watch another movie." That's when I realized I was classifying "go home" as a big event. February 23, 2023, I walked home on that day. On the way home, I noticed that it became quite ceremonial. The night scenes along the road, the memories of traveling with family, and the "failed" Super 8 images produced at home, all turned into the scenery of memories. At the same time, I also realize that when I am in the space of my home, I impose constraints on myself.

A star of the Taiwanese student movement, a celebrity Chinese student who loves Taiwan, and a Taiwanese documentary filmmaker passionate about politics. Each of them shared dreams of rebellion and building a better country. In the wake of the biggest social movement in Taiwan in recent years, they reflect on how close they came to realising their goals, how they were let down, and whether it is still possible to continue fighting for ideals.

Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) is one of the raptors in Taiwan that specifically builds their nests in “ferns”. While other buzzards migrate between cold northern continent and warm southern islands, they prefer to propagate in Taiwan. Ninety-nine Peaks is their major habitat. With different feather colors, this species can only be distinguished from other birds by their long narrow beak and sharp claws. However, it is certain that all oriental honey buzzards love to eat pupa of bees. The Oriental Honey Buzzard of Ninety-nine Peaks is a documentary produced by Raptor Research Group of Taiwan and published by Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture Executive Yuan in 2011. This film not only was nominated in the 34th Montana International Wildlife Film Festival but also won the first –run film in the National Ecological Film Festival and the Best Animal Behavior Award at the 2011 Japanese Wildlife Film Festival.

The final chapter of the Taiwan trilogy, exploring the long-term effects of cultural education during Taiwan's military dictatorship.

Since "Cape No. 7" in 2008, the Chinese film has been brought into the revival boom. Under what reforms will Taiwanese films regain their glory and go international?

At nightfall, the sound of a whistle echoes as the young planet awakens. They gallop through the dark night, following pre-programmed instructions, silently carrying out their covert mission, gathering and dispersing. They await the break of dawn, leaving no trace of their presence when the sun rises again.

After surviving a Ponzi scheme resulted from an information gap in Myanmar, a Taiwanese shrimp farmer, Du, collaborates with a local Chinese-Burmese, Su, to keep his shrimp business going. It is a story about how they work from the beginning to the end.

The special bond between filmmaker Mei-ling Hsiao and her daughter, who has Asperger syndrome, is meticulously recorded over a period of 12 years. As a result, we see Xiang Yun/Elodie grow from a creative girl into a young adult preparing for a career as a pâtissier. This means leaving her mother in Taiwan and moving to France, where her father lives, and where there is better training. But the distance between mother and daughter puts a strain on their relationship.

Following the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwan entered democratisation as grassroots movements flourished. Proposed by director Lee Daw-ming and funded by the Public Television Service, the film interviews key figures shaped by the Lukang Anti-DuPont Movement. Intended for broadcast, the film was suppressed by authorities and finally screened at the 2002 Taiwan International Documentary Festival.

My mother was born in Kinmen, a tiny island just off the coast of China. Sexism/Male child favoritism is often found in Asian cultures and is even more apparent in a closed off community like the one my mother grew up in. My mother has two younger brothers, so while she carries the responsibility of taking care of my sick grandmother, her efforts are never appreciated by her family, especially not by her mother.

Founded in 1979, Lanlin Theatre Troupe is the first evertheatre group in Taiwan. It has inspired and nurturedimportant figures in the theater industry of Taiwanduring the past 30 years. This is a story about the rise of ageneration and the fall of the oldest theatre troupe inTaiwan. Having spent their early life in this troupe, these artists are devoted to bridging traditional Chinese theater and modern art form.

In northern India's Dehradun, an all-women police unit tackles troubled marriages with unexpected wisdom and authority. Inside the bustling station, couples confront domestic turmoil while the officers balance tough love with surprising moments of humour.

A new style musical documentary that tells the biography of Yi-Feng Hung, the King of Taiwanese songs. The story begins in 2010 when the three sons of Hung promised to perform a concert for their father. In search of their father, the brothers discovered the missing pieces of their lives and gradually pieced together the life of the legendary music master they loved.

Two mixed-race children of the US military in Taiwan, one speaking Hakka, the other Taiwanese. In the ruins of a former military dormitory, they speak slowly, uncovering a history their faces and languages could never fully inhabit, their memories moving like ghosts along the edges of history.

Ming-Cheng started his ambitious plan about takingself-portraits of himself hand standing in different placesaround the world at the age of 26. In less than 3 years, his first voyage is accomplished with a series of breathtakingphotos featuring various picturesque Taiwanese locales. His one-man show Transparent Kingdom inspired by his journey is then awarded the prestigious Taishin Arts Award.

In this short documentary, actor Shih Chun addresses his longtime collaboration with director King Hu and his performance as Gu Sheng-zhai in A Touch of Zen.

A single act of kindness, involving three DVD players, plunged a father and son into a fate they could never reverse. Like a sinking ship, they desperately tried to slow their descent, but ultimately could not overcome the water rising past their noses and throats.

This documentary records the events of civil unrest in Taiwan that followed the "Red Martial Law" in 2008. It tells the story of abuses suffered by civilians at the hands of the authorities; of how state power has rapidly advanced to undermine civil rights; and investigates the problems of being educated to be "obedient" in Taiwanese culture.

This is an 8mm and 16mm experimental film made during the year of Covid-19 around the time I moved back to Taiwan from Japan. I shot 8mm footage during the state of emergency in Japan and just after moving back to Taiwan. I then spent several months cutting and pasting each 8mm frame onto 16mm film. Sometimes the daily fragments were too sentimental, but the film gave me shelter.

"In the Making: An Australia–Taiwan Indigenous Art Exchange" is a 43-minute bilingual documentary co-produced by Australia and Taiwan. It explores a five-year exchange program between Indigenous artists from both regions. Filmed mainly in Taiwan in late 2024, the artists' first in-person meeting reveals the depth and transformative potential of cross-cultural collaboration through interviews, shared creative processes, and the creation of new collaborative artworks.

Nan-Fang-Ao, a village in northeast Taiwan, once thrived on its big-net fishing industry. Now migrant workers from the Philippines and China vigorously live and work with the locals on one of the few remaining fishing boats. As we observe their life at sea, where the air is abuzz with different languages and gestures, thoughts of home drift among those who have come to provide for their families. There is the captain who talks about the old days, the woman who sent her husband off to sea and runs a shop in the village, and the laborers from foreign countries who buy gifts for their families at the market. With a fresh look, the film depicts people living on the unchanging stage of the ocean’s vast wilderness.