The third edition of the annual Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Thailand will take place in Bangkok, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, and Songkhla from Nov. 4 through Nov. 8, one of the few events that proceed in a physical venue amid the COVID-19 pandemic,.
Set to showcase nine selected documentary films and 12 shorts, the festival aims to garner a greater understanding of Taiwan's cultural diversity among Thai cinema-goers and to promote the art of cinematic documentation itself.
The festival will officially kick off on Nov. 4 at the House Samyan Cinema in Bangkok with Taiwanese classic "Yi Yi (一一)" by master filmmaker Edward Yang (楊德昌), who was acclaimed for redefining the very aesthetics and style of Taiwanese cinema.
This year's Director in Focus will feature the cutting-edge director Lau Kek-huat (廖克發). Viewers in the Southeast Asian country will able to enjoy three of the Malaysia-born Taiwanese filmmaker’s works – "Nia's Door (妮雅的門, 2015)," "Boluomi (菠蘿蜜, 2019)," and "The Tree Remembers (還有一些樹 2019)."
Another highlight of the festival is the screening of 4K restored version of "Goodbye, Dragon Inn (不散, 2003)" by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮). The screening will take place at Lido-Connect in Bangkok on Nov. 6, Lorem Ipsum Space in Hat Yai on Nov. 7, Untitled for Film in Chiang Mai on Nov. 8, House Samyan on Nov. 8, and TCDC Khon Kaen on Nov. 13.
In addition, the festival will also present "The Price of Democracy (狂飆一夢)" by Taiwanese director Liao Jian-hua (廖建華). The 2019 film takes a retrospective look at the decades-long development of Taiwan's democratization through recounting the life experiences that two grassroots activists went through.
Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Thailand is the joint effort made by a number of organizations, including the Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, Documentary Club, and TCDC Khon Kaen. Visit here to learn more about the festival.