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Cultural Establishments in Texas presenting online screening of Taiwanese queer film series

  • Date:2020-09-04~2020-09-13
Cultural Establishments in Texas presenting online screening of Taiwanese queer film series

"Prismatic Taiwan," a six-film series exploring the past and present of Taiwanese queer cinema, is available online for viewing in the United States from Sept. 4 to 13.

The virtual screening was co-sponsored by the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF), the Taiwan Academy in Houston, and the Austin Film Society.

"The legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan, which took effect in May 2019, inspired the AAAFF team to examine the evolution of LGBTQ subjects throughout the country’s cinematic history," the AAAFF says on its website.

The lineup of films includes 1970 black-and-white movie "The End of the Track (跑道終點)," "Outcasts (孽子)" from 1986, two films from 1997 – "The River (河流)" and "Not Simply a Wedding Banquet (不只是喜宴)" – and "Spider Lilies (刺青)" from 2007 and 2016's "Small Talk (日常對話)."

Directed by late filmmaker Mou Tun-fei (牟敦芾), "The End of the Track," opens with the close friendship of playmates Tong and Yong-sheng. Tong falls into a dark spiral after Yong-sheng dies in an accident during track-and-field practice. The film was originally banned in Taiwan due to its homosexual overtones and ideology.

"Outcasts," is based on renowned writer Pai Hsien-yung's (白先勇) novel, which follows the life of a young student who is rejected by his parents because of his sexual orientation. As the film progresses, the protagonist bonds with a Taipei-based gay community while struggling to gain his parents' acceptance.

Award-winning filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang’s (蔡明亮) "The River" unfolds the story of a young man, who develops severe neck pain after swimming in a polluted river, and his dysfunctional parents, who fall short to provide any relief either for him or themselves. The young man's mysterious neck ailment brings the family together, but with a shocking and calamitous outcome for father and son, according to the AAAFF's description.

"Not Simply a Wedding Banquet" is a 50-minute film documenting Taiwan's first public gay wedding in 1996 – a direct confrontation with then society. "Spider Lilies," the first Taiwanese film to win the Teddy Bear Award for Best Lesbian/Gay Film in Berlin, addresses repressed desires, memories, and trauma.

"Small Talk," a documentary directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Huang Hui-chen (黃惠偵), begins with a honest yet painful conversation between the director herself and her lesbian mother. The film was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.

In addition to the series slate, there will also be a live panel on Sept. 5 featuring "Spider Lilies" director Zero Chou (周美玲), representatives of Equal Love Taiwan (臺灣彩虹平權大平臺), a coalition of LGBT rights organizations, and members of LGBTQIA+ communities in the U.S. and the U.K.  Visit here for more information.

'Prismatic Taiwan'
Date: Sept. 4 – 13, 2020
Site: https://www.aaafilmfest.org/