The 4th Taiwan Film Festival Berlin (柏林台灣影展), curated by Impression Taiwan (映像台灣) and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in Germany, will screen a total of 16 works from August 20 to 29 this year.
Themed around "Portraits of Taiwanese Diversity," it is hoped that by focusing on the profiling of various Taiwanese figures, it will show the diverse cultural backgrounds of Taiwan, and in turn explore the emotional attachments to the land.
This year’s film festival will kick off with director Huang Chia-chun's "Whale Island (男人與他的海)," which will lead the audience on a journey with author Liao Hong-ji (廖鴻基) and cetacean photographer Jin Lei (金磊). Finally, director Liao Shi-han's (廖士涵) documentary "Searching for Taromak: Land of Warriors (尋找達魯瑪克)" will serve as closing film. The films will offer a glimpse into the close connection between tribal life and land, mountains, forests and crops.
The four major sections of this year's film festival selections are "Road To Freedom: Human Rights in Taiwan," "Portraits of Artists," "The Explorer and The Yearn For Travel" and the short film section "Gastarbeiter in Taiwan: Short Films collage." They are intended to illustrate the philosophical thinking and self-exploration of Taiwanese people, and transcend geographical boundaries to allow German audiences to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan’s multifaceted society through imageries.
Moreover, there will also be four directors' seminars. On August 10, a human rights seminar will be held, in which Malaysian director Kek Huat Lau and senior German journalist Klaus Bardenhagen in Taiwan will be invited to talk about migrant workers and human rights demands.
Founded in 2017 by a group of Taiwanese expats in Berlin, Impression Taiwan seeks to bring the stories of Taiwan to more international crowds and make Taiwanese film culture accessible in Berlin.