The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI) collaborates with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre for its 50th anniversary to present a cross-disciplinary film festival titled "Motion & Image: Five Film Conversations with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (動靜光影－雲門的電影對話)," allowing the audience to relive their dance works on screen. As part of the program, the first official screening of the film version of "13 Tongues (十三聲)" by Cloud Gate’s Artistic Director Cheng Tsung-lung (鄭宗龍) will be screened at TFAI.
According to the press release by Cloud Gate, "13 Tongues" premiered in 2016 at the National Theater and Concert Hall (NTCH). Inspired by the pedestrians on the streets of Bangka in the 1960s, Cheng combines Taiwanese cultural scenery such as the sounds of chanting in the temple, traders hawking at the night market, and Hengchun folk music. This may be considered one of Cloud Gate’s performances that incorporates the most local elements of Taiwan.
The film version of "13 Tongues" was directed by Howard Cheng (程紀皓) in 2021. Rather than using static shots, the director moves the camera among the dancers so viewers can watch the piece from a different angle.
Curated by curator/poet Hung Hung (鴻鴻), "Motion & Image: Five Film Conversations" focuses on five classic productions of Cloud Gate. In addition, five Asian movies were also selected to echo the diverse creations of Cloud Gate. Apart from "13 Tongues," "Songs of the Wanderers (流浪者之歌)," "Moon Water (水月)," "Formosa (關於島嶼)" by the Cloud Gate founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民) and "Sounding Light (定光)" by Cheng will be screened.
The film version of "13 Tongues" will be screened for two consecutive weekends on March 18 and 25 at TFAI.
(Photo credit: Cloud Gate Dance Theatre)