Curators discuss the challenges of putting together this year’s International Human Rights Film Festival, due to its unorthodox themeBy Han Cheung / Staff reporter
Taiwan International Documentary Festival programmer Chen Wan-ling (陳婉伶) says that in this digital age its increasingly important to showcase film that pushes the boundaries of story telling.
“Of course, we still offer a lot of more conventional material, but as someone I really respect once said, ‘A film festival always has to be a step ahead of the audience.’ People can easily access films online these days, so what’s left for us to do is to curate, and hope that our selections and programming provide a new context or perspective for people to examine each topic.”
In her ninth year working
A rich offering of true stories
The Taiwan International Documentary Festival kicks off tomorrow after a one-year delay, featuring a wide array of offerings and activities
By Han Cheung / Staff reporter
With a dizzying array of offerings ranging from acclaimed international productions to fuzzy vintage curiosities to experimental performance theater, it’s always hard to know where to start with the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF).
It’s even a tougher task for the preliminary judges, who each sifted through between 200 and 300 submissions, then argue their cases against other judges before whittling the final list down to 45.
To help the audience out, judge Sun Sung-jung (孫松榮) gave his top picks for the international competition section at a talk earlier this month. Erased: Ascent of the Invisible is a conceptual and philosophical piece exploring the forgotten or covered-up victims, sites and atrocities of the Lebanese Civil War, while The Makavej
Crafting a present from the past
How to meld fading traditional handicraft techniques with modern technology and needs is a running theme for this year’s Creative Expo
Ｂy Han Cheung / Staff reporter
Traditional hand puppet carver Lai Yung-ting (賴泳廷) is “competing” with a 3D printer this week in a sleek exhibition hall in downtown Taipei. Lai honed his craft from the age of 17 under the iconic master Lee Tien-lu (李天祿), and there’s no comparing the two even though the machine works precisely and tirelessly.
“This setup lets viewers experience first-hand the challenges that traditional crafts face in the real world,” the placard reads. Lai’s workshop is part of the Craft Land exhibition in the culture section of this year’s Creative Expo Taiwan, which runs until Sunday at several locations in Taipei.