The Taiwanese documentary "Kam Loo Tsui (甘露水)" has been selected for the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and will be screened at the festival, which will take place from Nov. 9 through 20.
Directed by Huang Pang-chuan (黃邦銓) and Lin Chun-ni (林君昵), the documentary "Kam Loo Tsui" traces the history of a nude sculpture named "Water of Immortality (甘露水)" created by late Taiwanese sculptor Huang Tu-shui (黃土水) as it was selected for the 3rd Imperial Art Exhibition in Japan in 1921. The sculpture was brought back to Taiwan; however, it was abandoned for unknown reasons and was later kept by a local family surnamed Chang until being rediscovered by a team led by Lin Mun-lee (林曼麗) from the Museum of National Taipei University of Education (MoNTUE), where the sculpture was restored and exhibited after being lost for over half a century.
The documentary will feature in IDFA's "Luminous" section, which presents 24 films and a wide spectrum of stylistic approaches: from cinéma vérité to experimental; from artist-driven works to socio-politically engaged films.
MoNTUE said that the documentary was well-received and both directors, Huang and Lin, are preparing to shoot a feature film to tell the story of artist Huang Tu-shui in greater detail including his experience of studying in Japan and issues related to the White Terror period in Taiwan.
Held annually, IDFA strives to strengthen the international documentary climate by focusing more than ever on documentary film as an art form. This focus includes documentary films with an original visual language or structure, films that show lesser-known cultures or are filmed from a non-Western perspective, and interactive or immersive documentaries that innovate the field.