In celebration of Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB) worked together with Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI, 國家電影及視聽文化中心) to present a virtual "Dragon Boat Festival Special Screening," and post-screening forum on June 23.
As rice dumplings are a favorite food enjoyed during the traditional festival, TFFA presented two rice dumplings "Sio Bah-tsàng" films – director Xin Qi's (辛奇) "The Rice Dumpling Vendors (燒肉粽1969)," and director Chen Ting-ning's (陳定寧) "Binding (燒肉粽2019)."
Director Xin Qi (also known as Hsin Chi, 1924-2010) was one of the most prolific directors in Taiwanese film industry, filming more than 50 movies, in almost every genre imaginable. However, many of his films were lost until the "Taiwan Cinema Digital Restoration Project" initiated by TFAI restored his films, including "The Rice Dumpling Vendors," in 2017.
"The Rice Dumpling Vendors" is a story about a successful businessman who was tricked and swindled by his mistress, causing him to drive his wife away and raise his three children by working odd jobs. In secret, his children began to sell rice dumplings on the street to help make ends meet.
Director Chen is an emerging award-winning director who was invited by the Golden Horse Film Academy (金馬電影學院) to work on the "Some where some place in time (4X相識)" project, an initiative to inspire intergenerational conversations and pay homage to 1960's classic Taiwanese films that resulted in "Binding."
Short film "Binding" ties together the stories of women from different generations through past and present film sequences to contemplate what voices women truly have in society.
Taipei Cultural Center in New York Director Chang Hui-chun (張惠君) said that for this special screening, TFFB selected two extraordinary films, produced 50 years apart, both on the theme of rice dumplings (zongzi), to further showcase Taiwan's unique film culture. Both films received enthusiastic response and high praise.