Discoveries from Taiwan World Cinema

The Stories of Celluloid project consists of multiple chapters that explore the past and present of dataset image through early film production material: camphor.

A long-term research project that focuses on the haunted rumors and supernatural experiences in the exhibition space itself, as well as the color light, space, narrative elements and audio-visual arrangement technology behind this experience. By collecting the supernatural events that artists and audiences encountered during the exhibition, and describing the heterogeneous exhibition perceptions of special audiences, we imagine a multi-ontological approach to artistic practice and exhibition.

An overview of Chiu Fu-sheng, a fundamental producer and promoter for Chinese cinema. He worked between China, Taiwan and Hong Kong producing the best films by authors of the caliber of Hou Hsiao-hsien and went through eras that are reflected in his work: the war in Vietnam, the Chiang Ching-kuo era of Taiwan, the reform and the opening up of mainland China, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the handover of Hong Kong.

The Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu as an economic entity is one of Taiwan’s internationally recognized identities nowadays. Revolving around the economic miracle, Battle City 2 – Economic Miracle depicts Taiwan as a mandate whose reconstruction has been entrusted to the JJ Corporation by the United Nations in the form of BOT (build-operate-transfer) after the nuclear disaster known as The Glory of Taiwan, and the JJ Corporation plans to transform Taiwan into “New Formosa,” a special economic zone for foreign exchange earnings. In this story, the investors also call the “New Formosa” an “economic farm” in the sense of a farming concentration camp, where Formosans are kept as economic animals intend- ed to offer services of all stripes for the investors.

This documentary depicts the journey of displaced students and retreating troops from the Yuheng United Middle School, crossing the treacherous terrain of Guangxi's mountains into Vietnam. They were then forced into French concentration camps before being relocated to Pulau Bidong, where they established settlements and protested through hunger strikes, garnering international attention. Their story portrays the plight of displacement and eventual return to Taiwan.

Returning to a house that holds nothing, a mother misses her own mother.

A big cock go-go boy, a she-male hooker, and a couple of lesbians making out in a seedy men’s room set the stage for a debate on Taiwanese independence.

Since creative activity is often associated with "those with surplus time and resources," political prisoners who dedicate their labor to outcomes unrelated to survival might seem to waste their time and strength. Yet, the deprivation of social roles, the coercion of total authority, and the abolition of existing orders all contribute to an intense need to establish an alternative order of one’s own. The semi-artistic practices performed by political prisoners can be seen as an attempt to reclaim or redeem their “normal lives.”

Every piece of dough wants to become a donut. Only donuts are good adults and symbols of greatness! Influenced by this education, little dough Dobby and his classmates long to participate in the "coming-of-age ceremony." However, Dobby accidentally discovers the unknown story behind the donut factory…

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?

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.

A taiwanese sport film

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.

"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."

Child Portrait is a mirror that presents life from multiple perspectives, reflecting the various relationships between the self and others, and the issues that come with different emotions. Painting is not simply a thinlayered medium presenting one's skills, but an art of deep understanding and acceptance. The painting throws out questions, and I walk into the world of the painting with my camera to find answers with the painter across time and space.

This experimental animated film was created using ink-and-wash painting techniques. Through the transformation of the Chinese characters for "woman" and "child," it depicts the contradictions and struggles of cultural conditioning faced by ethnic Chinese women in the process of developing gender awareness.

Authoritarianism deprives people of their right to live freely: rebellion or escape? We can only fantasize about a better future within the confines of unchanging laws.

Jun. 2nd, 2013, Nalam, an Indonesian undocumented foreign worker misheard the police from “donʼt run” to “take a photo”. And later arrested after taking photo with the undercover officers. It was shortly reported as a hilarious news. What if we invited three Vietnamese martial art masters as Nalam, and if he escaped from assaulting the police?

When a boat sets off, passengers may anticipate their destination's appearance. Some believe imagination can transport them, while others need firsthand experience. The story of Keelung Islet documents both a process and a state of consciousness.

Focused on the 2018-2020 excavation of Todos los Santos Church on Heping Island, Taiwan, this film delves into maritime exploration and colonisation of Taiwan. The director combines archaeological findings with a cross-disciplinary musical performance, capturing the delicate excavation process. Furthermore, the film traces a creative journey from the site to historical events in Asia.

The film was shot in two periods. Initially, during Kuo's visit to Ching-wen rebuilding his parents' home, unplanned as a documentary. Later, funding came, but Ching-wen left for Taipei. Kuo returned to Orchid Island, capturing memories of Ching-wen.

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.

In various religious rituals and philosophical mindsets, the emphasis is often placed on "transformation." Within the realm of inner knowledge, such actions are referred to as "alchemy of consciousness."

At the ripe age of 102, Chinhua Ho Chen, “Miss Golden Blossom”, takes center stage. In 1938, her voice graced the tracks of “Endless Spring” and “The Camellia Lady”, released by Victory Records, under the stage name “Yingying”. She also stands as the first among renowned female singers of Taiwan’s popular ditties. Through Miss Chinhua, we hear the echoes of the once renowned singer Yingying, preserving the distinct voices of Taiwan in popular music and songs.

Young Mao-Di spends his whole nights sitting at a computer tweaking digital photographs. One day, he meets the girl of his dreams on the metro. follows her and finds out that she lives across the street. the next day, he is followed by an older man, who lives in the same house as the girl. Mao-Di sets out to discover who the two are.

4 Children share a similar fate. Their fathers fish on the sea. Their mothers are of foreign origin. What are their inner worlds like?

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.

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.

The Tano Bora, meaning ‘The Magnificent Five’ in Swahili, was the famed cheetah coalition here in the Masai Mara—captivating observers with their stealth, strategy, and striking beauty. The artist follows one of the cheetahs from the perspective of a follower, intuitively and visually connecting the traces of movement in the wilderness. The body image is used as a means of creation to extend the habitat of the animals beyond the frame. In this way, the cycle of "life and death" is explored, thus visually touching the traces of the fate of wild animals.

An episode of “Urban Horror”

A woman casts a spell to attract her lover to the forest where she lives

The gentle gestures enacted by large-scale machines subvert our notions of the domestic, imagining industrial equipment as bodies in a home rather than the machines that construct the spaces we inhabit daily.

We encountered the dogs on the forays through Pristina’s streets. At night, we melded into the canine throngs, shadowing their movements until they dispersed and vanished. The residents imparted a saga of these dogs: in the late 1990s, as Serbian troops and Albanian insurgents clashed, domestic dogs were cast adrift on the battleground streets. Ever since, Pristina has been a tableau of roaming dog packs, with sporadic human-dog confrontations.

It is a documentary on food design, redefining food through the lens of creativity and design. The film features interviewees from Italy, Spain, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Four men are obliged to take a short-term counseling class about domestic violence. Each of them has problems like unbalanced communication, custody, marital conflicts and tension between the wife and the mother. The director documents the perpetrators with an in-depth perspective of how they've faced their family and conflicts and digs into the truth of love in the name of violence.

Scriptwriter Ah-X takes good care of his plant, Xiaojie. While Ah-X is writing, Xiaojie is the only one accompanying him. While Xiaojie grows bigger, Ah-X also starts to change little by little. Until one night, everything is losing control. Implantation is a short film which skillfully combines stop-motion animation and 4:3 film format.

Chi is a six-year-old little girl who lives ob the Happiness Road with her family. She recently starts school, but finds the teacher to be very demanding, and she has to speak Mandarin instead of her Taiwanese tongue to be a good student in class...

This story is set against the backdrop of a same-sex love murder case during the Japanese colonial period and contemporary Kaohsiung. It pieces together various "dual-sided" symbols from Taiwan's history, reconstructing a completely new narrative.

Connect with the charming children of Dongshi, Taiwan, a coastline township famous for its oysters.

Before leaving, Yi would like to go back to where there are cattle, oyster farms, and Chi.​

This is a film about a daughter’s feelings about losing her father. Like the scenery from a running train, memories are beautiful, blurry, and keep changing. In this experimental animated documentary, the author mixed video footage and analog film with animation techniques and brought through a diary-like atmosphere to immerse the audience in unspeakable feelings of losing a loved one.