Global Outreach

L'Association France Taïwan Échanges Culturels (FTEC, 法台文化交流協會) will be holding a free lecture on a traditional folk festival unique to Taiwan along with seven ticketed film screenings at Cinéma Ariel in Mont-Saint-Aignan, France from March 3 through 8.

Author and doctoral graduate of Université Paris III Yu Chia-fang (余佳芳) will be conducting a lecture on an annual Taiwanese fixture — the Keelung Mid-summer Ghost Festival (基隆中元祭). Yu will be discussing the interconnected development of folk activities and societal engagement in Taiwan from the historic standpoint of the festival's evolution. The lecture will be held on March 3 at Cinéma Ariel to provide audiences in France with a different perception and understanding of Taiwanese traditions.

There will also be seven chances to catch two Taiwanese films — the 2018 crime drama "Cities of Last Things (幸福城市)" by director Ho Wi-ding (何蔚庭) and the 2008 dark comedy "Parking (停車)" by director Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏) — at Cinéma Ariel from March 4 through 8.

Starring Jack Kao (高捷), Lee Hong-chi (李鴻其), Hsieh Chang-ying (謝章穎), Ding Ning (丁寧), Louise Ginberg, and Huang Lu (黄璐), "Cities of Last Things" is an exquisite and subtle film following the life of a violent and vengeful cop surnamed Zhang in three segments. Each segment draws from a different genre, starting with a science fiction story set in a dystopian vision of the year 2049, followed by a film noir segment focusing on Zhang's earlier job as a police officer, and concluding with a drama about Zhang's childhood encounter with a crime syndicate boss.

Starring Chang Chen (張震), Gwei Lun-mei (桂綸鎂), Leon Dai (戴立忍), and Chapman To (杜汶澤), "Parking" is an artful comedy noir that traces one man’s night-long journey searching for the owner of a car double-parked next to his car. Chen-mo encounters a succession of strange events and eccentric characters, propelling him toward new horizons in life.

Autour de Taïwan

Venue: Cinéma Ariel
Address: Place Colbert, 76130 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France
Site: http://ftecnormandie.jimdosite.com 

Yu Chia-fang Lecture
March 3 (Tuesday), 8pm

‘Cities of Last Things’ Screenings
March 4 (Wednesday), 5pm
March 6 (Friday), 9pm
March 7 (Saturday), 3pm

‘Parking’ Screenings
March 4 (Wednesday), 7pm
March 5 (Thursday), 6pm
March 7 (Saturday), 8:45pm
March 8 (Sunday), 5pm