CinemAsia shows the other Taiwan.
CinemAsia On Tour TAIWAN FOCUS in Eindhoven
CinemAsia will be a guest in Eindhoven at Natlab from 12th to 14th October. In addition to the annual CinemAsia Film Festival, CinemAsia can also be experienced in the rest of the year with CinemAsia On Tour programmes at various locations in the Netherlands. These OnTours offer a rich film and culture programme with constantly changing themes.
With this On Tour TAIWAN FOCUS CinemAsia wants to introduce a wide audience to this culturally varied, fascinating, lively island and its inhabitants. Most Dutch people know little about Taiwan, while there is a long history with this area. And many Taiwanese people live in the Netherlands. In order to offer the public a real Taiwanese voyage of discovery, the film programme is embedded in a cultural programme where the experience is given a prominent place.
THE FILM PROGRAMME
Central to CinemAsia is a new generation of filmmakers who tell the stories of modern,dynamic and endlessly varied Asia. To reach a wide audience with these films CinemAsia consciously chooses to offer the right mix of ‘art-house’ masterpieces, ‘block-busters’, stylish genre films and strong documentaries that capture the different perspectives of Asia: the Asia of today.
Opening film On Happinez Road by Hsin-Yin | 2017 | Chinese / English
Grand Prize winner at the Tokyo Anime Award and Taipei Film Awards.
Taiwanese are known for their warm, generous nature. This is not because they have always led a comfortable life as first world citizens, but because they have learned the importance of empathy and multiculturalism through their turbulent history of colonization, White Terror and Martial Law. And ultimately thanks to the economic miracle and democratization. These profound changes form the rich historical framework of the award-winning animation On Happiness Road. The heroine of the film, Chi is a mirror of Taiwan itself.
Film programme (summarized)
Follow the Links to CinemAsia On Tour for the full Film programme and full Programme schedule.
Spring: The Story of Hsu Chin-Yu | 2018 | Chinese | Drama
2923 is a melancholic, compassionate and romantic drama about our need for companionship. It is also a film that confirms the extraordinary talent of director Sunny Yu (The Kids, CinemAsia 2016).
Ça Fait Si Longtemps by Laha Mebow | 2017 | Chinese, French, Melanesian | Documentary
Empathy is the key to making international connections, a mentality that Laha Mebow accompanies during the search for ethnic identity in her latest documentary.
Dear Ex by Mag HSU | 2018 | Chinese | Drama, Comedy
The film is not only a fascinating narrative, but also an ode to Taiwan’s progressive path to equality in matrimonial rights. The film shone at Taipei Film Festival and was awarded the prizes for Best Narrative Feature, Audience and Best Performer.
Hang in There, Kids! by Laha Mebow | 2016 | Drama, child friendly | Chinese
This family-friendly charmer illuminates the lives of Taiwan’s indigenous people. This loving tribute to the director’s cultural roots won five Taipei Film Awards (including Best Film) and was Taiwan’s entry to the Oscars’ Foreign Film category.
Omotenashi by Jay Chern | 2018 | Drama, Romantic | Chinese, Japanese, English
Dutch premiere
Omotenashi, deeply embedded in Japanese culture, is a concept to offer hospitality from the heart. This elegant intercultural romance is made with so much care that it is itself an expression of Omotenashi. Omotenashi was awarded the Hong Kong HAF (Hong Kong-Asia Financing Forum) prize 201.
The Great Buddha+ by HUANG Hsin-Yao | 2017 | Drama, Black Comedy | Taiwan
This stylish, thriller-noir, which is also immeasurably funny, exposes the social and financial inequalities in Taiwanese society. With its satirical character, the film would fit into the Coen Brothers’ oeuvre. The film also won the most prizes at the 54th Golden Horse Awards and was Taiwan’s candidate for an Oscar in the Foreign Languages category at the US Academy Awards.
We are the Perfect Citizens of LingJui Hsu | 2018 | short documentary | Chinese
This short penetrating documentary highlights the experience of being an immigrant. LingJui Hsu, also known as Alexandra and Hsu, is a multidisciplinary designer with a keen eye for cultural and social issues within intercultural contexts.
Xiao Mei of Maren Hwang | 2018 | Youth drama, mystery | Min Nan, Chinese
Director Maren Hwang uses his advertising background to spread his social message with a bang. His tragedy about the dangers of drug addiction is a cinematic jigsaw puzzle of identity and urban apathy. He uses an exciting narrative structure that resembles Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon.
THE CULTURAL PROGRAMME
To deepen the experience of Taiwan, CinemAsia offers the following cultural programme where the experience is central. With among others: Asian Futurism Dinner
Asian Futurism Dinner is a tailor-made dinner that brings the participant to Asia of the year 2068. The excellent 3-course dinner is presented by Taiwanese bio-artists Kuang-Yi Ku and Pei-Ying Lin working in the Netherlands. The central theme this evening is the virus. The bio-artists invite participants to reflect on cultural myths and the encounter between man and virus while enjoying dinner.
Two virtual reality films
Virtual Reality films celebrate great successes in Taiwan and are an important trend in the film industry. CinemAsia therefore chose two powerful VR films from Taiwan, which are successful in showing them to the public in Eindhoven: The Train Hamasen by Kuan Yuan Lay and Your Spiritual Temple Sucks by John Hsu. Info to Virtual Reality experience here.
Love Talk
Love Talk is a special film x panel talk – consisting of the screening of the documentary Behind the Backdrop (2017) by Floor Hofman about love in times of globalization in Taiwan, followed by a panel discussion about wedding, marriage and love in Taiwan and the Netherlands. A true study club of love.
FilmLAB meets BROET
The Resonance of Lost in Translation are
The CinemAsia talent development programme is for makers with Asian roots who live in the Netherlands. Their films always have their premiere during the CinemAsia Film Festival. During the 2018 edition five short films were produced with the overarching theme Lost in Translation. For this On Tour, FilmLAB will join forces with makers of BROET, the film platform for film talent of Filmhuis NATLAB. Together they will investigate the role that their diverse cultural backgrounds play in the production of their films. More info here.
About CinemAsia Film Festival
Founded in 2003, CinemAsia Festival is the only pan-Asian Film Festival in the Netherlands.
Besides showcasing Asian cinema’s richness in themes and genres, the programme also seeks to reflect the region’s complexity in terms of cultural, social and political diversity.
CinemAsia provides a platform to up-and-coming and independent filmmakers of fiction and documentaries, as well as showcasing high quality mainstream films.
The festival creates space for the public and the film industry to meet, interact and experience each other. A broad public programme seeks to reflect the richness of Asian cultures, through food market, meet-and-greets with filmmakers and thematic debates. A special industry programme focuses on bringing together the Asian and Dutch film professionals.
Link to CinemAsia Film Festival
CinemAsia FilmLAB
The CinemAsia FilmLAB is CinemAsia’s talent development programme, wherein young talent with Dutch-Asian roots are given encouragement and technical support to realise their stories into a short film. Each year a new theme is introduced. Through this programme, CinemAsia contributes to the better representation of makers with Asian roots and their stories within the Dutch film and television landscape. This year, FilmLAB pioneered a collaboration with Taipei Media School in Taiwan to offer a month-long internship program for two students to come to Amsterdam for an immersion course at FilmLAB and participate as film ambassadors during the festival.
Link to FilmLAB
CinemAsia is the only festival for Asian culture that gives specific attention to the Dutch-Asian LGBT community through an annual programme focusing on relevant themes.
See schedule on our calendar and get all the info from Cinemasia Film Festival’s Website
Text- and Photocredit: CinemAsia Film Festival
