The Taiwan program at the 36th Outfest, a Los Angeles festival celebrating the best LGBTQ stories from around the world, attracted over 1,000 filmgoers over the course of three days in July.
Screenings of Taiwanese productions "Alifu, The Prince/ss," "Bao Bao," "Looking For?" and "Happy Birthday" were the first contact with Taiwanese films for many participants. Seeing the diverse cast of characters, plots, and cultural elements in the featured films, viewers from July 13 to 15 expressed their amazement at the potential of Taiwan's filmmakers.
Organized by the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, a reception titled "Spotlight on Taiwan: A Beacon of LGBTQ Rights in Asia" at the Directors Guild of America also attracted around 500 people on July 15.
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster noted that while Taiwanese filmmakers are able to freely create films discussing gender and sexuality, many Asian countries still apply strict censorship prohibiting such productions or related discussions.
Racster added that as the beacon of LGBTQ rights in Asia, Taiwan is a hub of many excellent film creations, and Outfest looks forward to further collaboration with the Taiwan Academy in LA.
Abraham Chu (朱文祥), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, praised Outfest for its devoted promotion of LGBTQ rights and gender equality for more than 30 years.
He added that the J.Y. Interpretation No. 748 on May 24, 2017 — which called for constitutional amendment to broaden the guarantees of freedom of marriage — was a notable milestone in the history of marriage equality in Taiwan, thanks to the efforts and dedication of the LGBTQ community, activists, and supporters in Taiwan.