FILMOSA FESTIVAL, Taiwanese film festival in Paris, will take place at La Filmothèque du Quartier Latin and Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris from Sept. 18 to 26. The annual event, now in its third year, is a collaboration between the FILMOSA association, the Maison de la Culture du Japon in Paris, Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, and the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris.
Postponed from spring due to COVID-19 concerns, the festival is composed of three major categories – "Picks of the Year," "History of Taiwan-Japan Ties," and "Taiwanese Queer Cinema." The nine contemporary and classic films selected address social issues spanning from identity, gender, and body image.
In "Picks of the Year" category, viewers will be able to enjoy three recently released films – "Heavy Craving (大餓)," "Nina Wu (灼人秘密)," and "Synapses (那個我最親愛的陌生人)." "Heavy Craving," director Hsieh Pei-ju's (謝沛如) first feature film which depicts a story exploring body-image and self-identity issues from a female point of view, will be the opening film of the week-long festival.
"Nina Wu," on the other hand, is Myanmar-born Taiwanese director Midi Z’s (趙德胤) latest work. The 2019 psychological thriller follows a powerless young woman who suffers from workplace abuse while pursuing her dream of being an actress. "Synapses," directed by filmmaker Chang Tso-chi (張作驥), is a drama depicting how members of a family deal with their own demons, emotional conflicts, and past in the face of Alzheimer's disease.
"History of Taiwan-Japan Ties" will present three documentaries: "After Spring, the Tamaki Family (海的彼端)," "Shonenko (綠的海平線)," and "Wansei Painter - Tetsuomi Tateishi (灣生畫家-立石鐵臣)."
"After Spring, the Tamaki Family" explores the history and identity struggles of the Tamaki family, the largest Taiwanese clan on Okinawa, Japan. "Shonenko" documents the lives of Taiwanese child laborers who manufactured fighter planes in Japanese naval arsenals in Kanagawa during World War II.
"Wansei Painter - Tetsuomi Tateishi" is built around the story of Taiwan-born Japanese artist Tetsuomi Tateishi whose paintings reflect the dramatic political, cultural, and social transformation Taiwan went through after World War II.
"Taiwanese Queer Cinema," meanwhile, showcases Taiwanese LGBT-themed films from different periods over the past 30 years, including internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee’s (李安) 1993 classic "The Wedding Banquet (喜宴)," "Blue Gate Crossing (藍色大門)" by director Yee Chih-yen (易智言), and filmmaker Wang Yu-lin’s (王育麟) 2017 work "Alifu, The Prince/ss (阿莉芙)."
"The Wedding Banquet" provides an excellent demonstration of how a same-sex marriage leads to the clash of cultures regarding issues of family and gender. "Blue Gate Crossing" illustrates innocence and beauty of first love through a triangular relationship of three high school students. "Alifu, The Prince/ss" is a film on a tribal chieftain's heir who wishes to be identified as a woman.
FILMOSA, a non-profit association, was founded in March 2018, using the fusion of two words, Formosa and film, as its name. By collaborating with other cultural establishments to organize the annual Taiwanese film festival in Paris, the association has sought to share the culture of Taiwanese cinema with the French public.
'Filmosa Festival'
Date: Sept. 18 – 26, 2020
Venue(s): La Filmothèque du Quartier Latin, Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris
Site: https://www.filmosa.org/edition-2020-a-venir