Taiwan Film Festival Berlin to spotlight Taiwanese women on screen

Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) This year's Taiwan Film Festival Berlin will screen 20 Taiwanese films from Friday to Oct. 1 under the theme "Portraits and Echoes of Taiwanese Women on Screen" at the Colosseum Filmtheater.

Among the selected works is the internationally acclaimed "Yen and Ai-Lee" (小雁與吳愛麗) by director Tom Lin (林書宇), which will be shown on Friday. Lin and his wife, actress Kimi Hsia (夏宇喬), will attend a post-screening talk. Hsia portrays Yen, the film's protagonist, the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Germany said in a statement Tuesday.

Other notable works include "Daughter's Daughter" (女兒的女兒), "The Uniform" (夜校女生), "Zinnia Flower" (百日告別), "Tropical Fish" (熱帶魚) and "Kuei-mei, a Woman" (我這樣過了一生), according to the event's website.

This year's theme aims to address women's evolving roles in Taiwanese society and highlight women not only as mothers, daughters or partners, but also as resilient individuals who refuse to give in to hardship, according to a statement by the festival's curators.

In addition to movie screenings, organizers also received approval to set up food stands offering boba tea and lu wei (滷味, Taiwanese braised food), taking audiences on a sensory journey as they immerse themselves in Taiwanese culture, the office said.

The festival is jointly organized by the office and Berlin-based Impression Taiwan. Now in its eighth edition, it serves as an important channel for cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Germany and for German audiences to access Taiwanese cinema, the office said.