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The walker with the shaved head and dressed in a red robe is barefoot. He walks slowly but determinedly through the forest, over stones and grassland. He also makes his way through the shadows of trees and houses. He sets foot in the train station, the church and the museum. The sun rises and sets again. The walker passes through Washington, D.C. Another stranger is also on the move in the city. We are unsure whether or not he is following the walker.

During World War II, Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. This documentary explores the experiences of Taiwanese soldiers, doctors, and overseas residents in Southeast Asia during that time. Using cross-generational memory dialogues, family letters, diaries, and videos, the film addresses the complexities of Taiwan's historical memory and diverse identities during that period.

Something is wrong with the “soil”, rendering farmers unable to make money. Enthusiastic middle-aged farmer A-Ren switches to the tech industry, aiming to revive the soil by turning garbage into compost, with his family reluctantly supporting his dream. Meanwhile, An-he, who is nearing retirement, leads his family to cultivate the land using organic farming methods. Farming becomes not only a way of life but also an attitude towards life. As the cycles of nature unfold between the tug-of-war of ideals versus reality, two farmers — one old, one young; one calm, one energetic — will intersect amid the changing seasons of life.

An unexpected and joyous exploration of womanhood, autonomy and self-reinvention, told through the video diaries and personal archive of the free-spirited XiXi and the evolution of the friendship between her and the filmmaker.

After voyu toskʉ's father was released from prison that year, he took his family away from Alishan and wandered around Taiwan for a lifetime. It wasn't until sixty years later that the youngest son, voyu toskʉ, decided to move back up to the mountains. voyu never understands why he grew up in the plain while his father was always wandering. They moved from one place to another, never truly settling down. And voyu's life trajectory is similar to his father's, never knowing where his home truly belongs. So, does the warm "home" that everyone talks about really exist?

The Xining Public Housing complex in Taipei, built in 1983, houses more than 1,000 residents. Tsai Ming-liang filmed his first television drama and his feature The Hole (1998) here. Tsai Ming-liang quietly observes the complex, set to be demolished soon, and the daily lives of its people.

A dazzling and unconventional documentary where a filmmaker explores their first experience of great loss after her best friends Chun and Yueh go missing. Trapped in a cave in Nepal for 47 days, Yueh survives. Chun does not. Yi-Shan offers an intimate window into the complex relationship of survivors as she traverses the intricate terrain of grief and gender with Yueh. Their conversations are steeped in themes of guilt, perseverance, and identity as they navigate Chun’s legacy with ease, even as elders around them fail to acknowledge their friend’s queerness/transness posthumously.

Over twenty years ago, Yao moved to Taiwan from China through marriage and settled in a single veterans' dormitory called "Da Wo Xin She." Now a widow, her days pass slowly, balancing between caring for the veterans and working odd jobs. Looking back on her relationship with her parents, Yao gradually came to understand what had brought her to this point and made her who she is today. With the dormitory’s impending demolition, Yao’s uncertain journey of displacement is about to begin once again.

After leaving a youth shelter, a filmmaker lost in Christian faith tries to save his friend, who has turned to Satanism for redemption. Their shared need for salvation pulls them into a turbulent journey, testing their friendship and ultimately forcing them to make life-changing choices.

Different groups of people wander in a rainy, windy, dark world. They spend time together, trying to get away from their depressing jobs, meandering constantly towards a disturbing surreal queer fantasy.

This documentary tracks three elderly women from Taiwan, China and the US who are drawn together by the bound they develop with inmates of a maximum-security prison in New York.

The history of THNG Tek-chiong family not only reflects the confusion and the pursuit of Taiwanese identity over generations, but also serves as a cautionary tale for the people living in Taiwan.

With unprecedented access to Taiwan's sitting head of state, director Vanessa Hope investigates the election and tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the first female president of Taiwan.

"Searching for Love: A Story of Family Life Delicately Presented" This is a family movie that mainly reflects the importance of family. Home is a nurturing environment where family members gather together and share some of the subtle actions and interactions of each other's lives, revealing Show love and support for each other. Reflect on the subtle but important moments of love in our daily lives as a family . The importance of these moments can only be discovered and cherished when we take the time to observe and reflect.

A third-generation heir of a family-run shrimp business returns to his hometown to take over the family business and arrange his marriage as per his father's wishes. His childhood friend, a filmmaker, documents their journey as they explore what he truly wants in life. This is a story about the leisurely daily life of two young men in a fishing village.

Directed by artist and filmmaker Tiffany Sia, The Sojourn (2023) imagines a restless landscape film in Taiwan. Visiting scenic locations shot by King Hu, the short experiments with the road movie genre and its intersection with the martial arts epic. Sia meets actor Shih Chun, who played the protagonist in Hu’s Dragon Inn, Touch of Zen and other wuxia films, as he guides the quest to re-encounter the iconic landscapes where Dragon Inn was shot. He advises on the perfect conditions of mist and weather. Yet, in the journey through the mountains of Hehuanshan, the sublime landscape of King Hu remains ever elusive. She later visits the elementary school of Indigenous filmmaker and principal Pilin Yapu of the Atayal tribe. Absent of conventional subtitles, the essay film employs text burned into the center of the frame as a mode of translation, sometimes refusing total disclosure. – tiffanysia.com/glossary/the-sojourn

"Is cancer a gift?" This unsettling question drives Bowie TSANG, a well-known TV host and speaker active in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, on a six-year journey of exploration. Since 2018, as cancer impacted her loved ones and even her trusted doctor, Bowie sought answers on how to face the disease. Through her Vlog, she documented inspiring stories, exploring not only conventional Western treatments but also alternative therapies such as traditional Chinese medicine, integrative mind-body practices, and more. Along the way, Bowie discovered a profound perspective—gaining peace through a "medicine for the mind." Her journey invites viewers to rethink the connection between life, illness, and healing.

People wear vivid colours to express political stances in the demonstrations in Hong Kong and Taiwan. This digital video artwork explores how colour, particularly skin tone, is ideologically constructed in media and design. Through sampling, glitches, and critical overlays, the work questions the perceived neutrality of colour standards and highlights how visual systems encode racial and cultural biases. Blending theory with experimental aesthetics, it invites viewers to rethink how identity and power operate through the language of colour.

"This is a campaign without color."(Without political party affiliation) Once every two years, the season of "dont shuan" is here again. Regardless of the blue-green reunification and independence, the sound of "dont shuan" is often heard on election occasions. The ""dont shuan"" cries of new parties and political amateurs symbolized the beginning of the election. Today, "dont shuan" has been regarded as an integral part of elections. When you hear "dont shuan", you know that the election is about to begin.

Umei and Haluwey embarked on an artistic journey much later in life, exploring the realms of art, acting, and ethnic song-singing. Now, they have even started to write songs. This is a chronicle of two mothers pursuing their dreams. By taking a series of courses, they come to embrace their inner beauty, struggles, and self worth. Through songwriting and creative expression, Umei and Haluwey take a profound introspection of their lives, telling their stories as daughters-in-law, wives, mothers, and daughters.

Two Indonesian poets meet at Tainan Park, using daytime experiences to craft poetry. Inspired by encounters and emotions, their creations take shape through night-time chanting, imagination, and action. Taman-taman (Park) unfolds a journey resembling an ancient fable, with untold stories hidden in the endless night. The storytellers become integral parts of the narratives as well.

A back-and-forth correspondence between two filmmakers living in Beijing and Tokyo. It began during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was difficult for them to meet in person and continued until 2024. The resulting work, employing various forms such as animation, collage, and 8mm film, develops through quoting each other’s images and sounds, and the result shimmers with the joy of “this is personal cinema!”

A Taiwanese American filmmaker questions her family’s silence around the cycles of violence that have persisted since the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949.

The documentary "Taiwan Alishan Forest Railway Journey" offers a diverse array of content, with every detail highlighting the distinct features of Alishan in Taiwan. It includes many impressive elements. In addition to employing the latest filming techniques, the team captured stunning landscapes and remarkable railway construction methods, such as the figure-eight design, Z-segments, horseshoe bends, and the restoration of a century-old steam locomotive. They even filmed the domestically produced cypress train, named Formosensis, which has yet to enter service. Both Japan’s NHK and Taiwan’s Public Television Service provided their award-winning teams and enlisted the participation of renowned Japanese composer Kiyoshi Yoshida and Golden Horse Award-winning actress Gwei Lun-mei for the Chinese narration, enhancing the documentary’s international appeal.

Chi-Lun, 27 years-old, loves trains. He is on the autistic spectrum. Studying maps and videos of transport systems in operation, he is well-versed in the transport routes of Taiwan. He, his sister and father are making plans for a train trip to Hualien after the easing of the pandemic. With a set destination in mind, he has to try to convince them. During the trip, his expressions are as fleeting as the view outside of the train window.

Through the real stories of teachers and students in remote rural areas, we can see the profound influence of teachers on students.

Once praised as “good helpers,” four migrant women from Indonesia and Vietnam face dismissal after pregnancy and struggle to raise children in a foreign land. As both workers and mothers, their pursuit of happiness is filled with hardship and separation.

Documentary about making of "Three Tears in Borneo".

"Where was he pushing the car toward? I don't know. Maybe, just for the sake of it. Sometimes, making films, I shoot just for the sake of it."

I enjoy religion, I appreciate belief systems and how they offer structure to people's lives. I also appreciate how spirituality manifests itself in Asian cultures as this almost earthbound presence guiding people through every day life and when they need an extra bit of help they need only ask whichever deity holds dominion over their desire. Here is an experimental film I made with videos from my iPhone. Shot across Taiwan and South Korea. An experimental film I made with videos from my iPhone. Shot across Taiwan and Korea. My aim was to explore success in how it pertains to every day life, the satisfaction of small moments, spirituality, superstition, and daily rituals.

Twenty years ago, AJ returned from San Francisco and began hosting parties to give Taiwanese lesbians a place to meet, dance, and feel free. What started with a few hundred attendees has grown into LEZS Party, a cornerstone of lesbian culture in Taiwan and Asia, expanding into media and branding while paralleling Taiwan’s equal rights movement. This film follows AJ as she plans the 20th anniversary, revealing her emotions, beliefs, and vision to empower more lesbians to challenge the system and make their voices heard.'

Away for years, what is the unit for alienation? The saxophone at the intersection eleven years ago, the Korean music on the street four years ago, the flight broadcasts after the epidemic, the voices of family members, the days and nights when Taipei and Hong Kong were at a standstill, some moments linger.

Literature and tales of the military dependents' villages leave a unique and precious character in Taiwanese history since the Great Retreat in 1949. The people have gradually formed a culture within the villages. To dive into the richness of military dependents' villages, the film interviews many prominent Taiwanese writers who grew up in the first and second generation of military dependents' villages and quotes extensively from literary passages, creating the reappearance of the unforgettable lives in the villages and of the cultures of Waishengren.

The director unexpectedly overheard stories about his mother’s family and decided to pick up a camera to explore a century-old history: Topa, a Tayal tribe that once lived in Sanxia but was displaced to Taoyuan’s Fuxing District due to Japanese rule. The main subjects of this documentary are descendants who are striving in their own ways to preserve the memory of Topa. Through their efforts, the connection between their lives and history is finally being brought back to light.

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.

Since June 2023, another civil war between the government and the rebel forces has been raging on in Myanmar. Midi, the director who has been away for years, comes back to the port, where he waited for six months to obtain his first passport. His anxiety and people's suffering not only remain but even increase. Homeland has always stayed in his heart, but he can never return to it.

In 1984, LIU Ruo-yu left Taiwan and went to the United States to learn how to act from Jerzy GROTOWSKI. LIU returned to Taiwan and founded U Theatre in 1988. By visiting masters from various places, they learned traditional skills such as Tai Chi, drums, stilts, Taoist rituals, etc. Through constant physical training, meditation, drumming, and martial arts, LIU established his training and performance methods. In 1998, U Theatre performed Sound Of The Ocean at the Avignon Festival in France. It is now more than 30 years since U Theatre was founded. Where will it go next?

A student, initially serving as a director, filmed his LGBTQ+ teacher but eventually became personally involved in drag. What began as an observer's stance transformed into active participation in drag. Through self-engagement in drag, the director assumed the identity of Rachel and seized an opportunity for a dialogue with self-identity. This experience led to an awareness of the conflicting dialectics between societal frameworks and personal identity. The director embarked on multiple attempts to coexist with and showcase the multifaceted aspects of the transformed, drag persona.

Childhood is a dagger lodged in the throat. Spending childhood under the pressure of academic success, there was no happiness to be found. It wasn't until I grew up and started filming my family that I discovered my mother's body and mind had long aged and shattered. As my heart broke with each merciless verbal attack, who could return to my mother her lost youth? A mother and daughter, loving and clashing, after over twenty years together, finally willing to face the long-standing issues between them.

In a snowy landscape, a man works day and night to restore a two-century-old wooden house – a meeting point of family tradition, war, winding river, and people from elsewhere. Through traditional photography, the director captures emotions in the old window frames, history in the grain of the wooden walls, and memories in the hand-sanding paints.

In 2021, an orchestrated coup d’état in Myanmar shuts down the country. Gao Gao, who can no longer go to school, spends his days with his friends in the village, passing the time by playing with toy guns, going through life as if nothing has changed despite the unrest around him.

We stepped on Orchid Island (Lanyu) because of an ancient chant, which is the earliest sound of the Tao people recorded by Japanese scholar Kitasato Takeshi in the 1920s. Our filming journey, a 3-hour boat ride from the southeast coast of Taiwan, became a heartfelt exploration of the island's intersections between old and new, tradition and modernity.

The documentary "Wounds – Veterans' Stories" primarily focuses on the veterans who came to Taiwan in 1949 with the memories and traumas of the civil war. The film is conducted along with two story lines: One is conveyed through the personal accounts of the veterans in Taiwan telling their memorable stories of migrating to Taiwan, while the other one follows the story of the Borough Chief of Xianghe Lane in Kaohsiung who escorts the ashes of deceased veterans back home. Through the record of the veterans' stories, the impacts of war on individuals and society as a whole is revealed.

A young woman, Kuo, embarks on a journey to find her birth family.

Before and after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan, there was a group of photographers who remained steadfast in their beliefs. Undeterred by the pressures of the mainstream market or government interference, they boldly ventured across the country, presenting firsthand material to the public, regardless of whether their perspective was objective or not.

The language of dreams reminds us that the "reality" has long undergone the workings and transformations of the mind. However, the disparities between the dream world and reality may serve as a reminder of something profound. Through the dreamer's narration of the dream process and retracing events by following others' memories, the selection of scenes originates from real-life situations. In the interweaving of reality and illusion, a state of seeming truth yet non-truth is crafted, shaping the image of the departed as both present and absent.

Wildlife rescue work often involves racing against time. At the WildOne Wildlife Rescue Station in Chishang, Taitung, many wild animals, big and small, flood in as soon as the breeding season begins in spring and summer. Many injured animals, frightened and stressed, may even refuse to eat. Treating and caring are challenging to the veterinarians and rehabilitators. Despite the effort invested in their care, they must restrain their emotions to avoid the animals becoming familiar with humans. And sometimes, after extensive care, if releasing them back into the wild isn’t possible, euthanasia may be necessary for the sake of the animal's good. The film Journey Bound Home documents the journey at the WildOne Wildlife Rescue Station, from receiving injured wildlife to determining if they can ultimately be released back into their natural habitats.

"When it comes to talking about family memories, I find that I have no recollection at all." A son who has forgotten his childhood and a mother who wishes to mend their relationship come together in an unprecedented way during the demolition of an old house. Through the eyes of lens, the once-filled house becomes empty, and the garden grows wild with weeds. The mother speaks to the camera, expressing her sorrow, regret over leaving the family, and hopes for a future together. As the distance between them narrows, how should the son respond?

The director's father worked as a taxi driver, with only two days off per month, to support the family's livelihood. He hoped that his melancholic mother could regain her strength. Over the course of a year, the director used the camera to re-explore and mend family relationships, while also capturing the indescribable love between his parents.