Spanish film festival to feature six Taiwanese productions

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) Six Taiwanese films will be screened at a film festival organized by Taiwan's representative office in Spain and two Barcelona-based curators that will be held in the Spanish city from May 16-18.

The festival, which aims to tell the stories of Taiwan, is called "Taiwán, historias desde dentro" or "Taiwan, Stories From Within" in English, and will take place at Cinemes Girona in Barcelona.

It will showcase "A Journey in Spring" (春行), "Moneyboys" (金錢男孩), "Terra Nullius or: How to Be a Nationalist" (無主之地:一部台灣電影), "The Pig" (豬), "The Clock" (阿霞的掛鐘), and "Temporary" (臨時工).

"Terra Nullius or: How to Be a Nationalist," directed by James T. Hong (洪子健) is a documentary on the disputed Diaoyutai Islands, Taiwan's Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

"Moneyboys," directed by C.B. Yi (陳熠霖), is a drama about gay people in China, the ministry said. Shot entirely in Taiwan, it is a collaborative effort between Taiwan, Austria, France, and Belgium, it added.

Yo Chen (陳潔曜), an academic researching film studies, said the festival is comprised of a cross-section of Taiwan's contemporary films.

"A Journey in Spring," directed by Wang Ping-wen (王品文) and Peng Tzu-hui (彭紫惠) conveys the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi," while "The Pig" and "The Clock," both directed by Singing Chen (陳芯宜), delve into Taiwan's social issues, Chen said.

In "Moneyboys," the influence of Taiwanese gay movies is evident, which proves that Taiwanese filmmakers are at the vanguard of a trend toward "democratizing" Mandarin movies, Yo Chen said.

"Temporary," directed by Hsu Hui-ju (許慧如) is a short documentary about the plight of temporary workers in Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.

The festival was jointly organized by curators Miquel Martí Freixas and Catarina Brites Soares to help Taiwanese productions tap into the Spanish market and have an impact on the local "hipster" scene, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain said in a statement.

The selections included drama, documentaries, and shorts by up-and-coming directors over the past decade, telling stories from Taiwan's urban areas and countryside, Freixas and Soares said in a statement.

Many of the issues discussed in the films are systemic problems in Taiwan's society, they added.

The works by female directors ensure women's perspectives are included in the storytelling, they said, adding that the body of work is essential for providing audiences with an understanding of Taiwan.

The festival will kick off with a forum on May 16 about the latest developments in Taiwanese cinema, featuring Esteve Riambau, director of Filmoteca de Catalunya, and Yo Chen.

More information is available on the event's web page: https://www.cinemesgirona.cat/cartelera/fest-taiwan