Skip to main content

Taiwan's short film 'Encore Martha' to show at Queer East Festival in UK

  • Date:2022-11-10
Taiwan's short film 'Encore Martha' to show at Queer East Festival in UK

Taiwanese lesbian short film "Encore Martha (安可瑪莎)" will be screened at the Picturehouse at FACT Liverpool, UK on Nov. 10, as part of the program "Shorts: Days of Reverie" during the Queer East festival.

Directed by Natasha K. Sung (宋康欣), the 25-minute film revolves around a lesbian singer, Uncle Martha, who unexpectedly meets her first love, Mandy, whom she still dreams of at night. After knowing that her husband has passed away, Martha decides to get her back. However, it has been 30 years since they last saw each other, and reconnecting proves to be no small challenge.

This year's "Shorts: Days of Reverie" program includes the cinematic offerings of Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, China, the US, South Korea, and the Philippines. In addition to “Encore Martha,” the lineup also features "Elsa," "Dear to Me," "Frozen Out," "In His Island," and "God's Daughter Dances." The screenings will be the fourth round of the program. The first round kicked off on May 26 at the Genesis Cinema.

According to the Queer East festival's official website, "Shorts: Days of Reverie" is dedicated to the power of queer dreams and daydreams to bring about change-a celebration of fantasy and its role in shaping LGBTQ+ identities. The directors showcased in this selection are interested in fantasies and legends, though their films often feel like fables: lessons for our times, powerfully articulated through the blending of dream and reality, a testament to queer reverie.

Founded in 2019, Queer East is an LGBTQ+ film festival that showcases rarely seen queer cinema from East and Southeast Asia, and seeks to amplify the voices of Asian communities in the UK. The festival explores the forces that have shaped the current queer landscape in Asia.