Crossing History and Memory
November 27th-29th
“Crossing History and Memory” explores the dialogues that build a narrative of history, and the memories that are often erased in the process. The rituals of religion in Asia are often the only legitimated expressions of hidden histories and unspoken memories.
The Tree Remembers documents the racism toward the aboriginal Orang Asli of Malaysia, and Journey with Invisible Friends the indigenous Siraya of Taiwan, who were both forgotten in the mainstream histories written by Malay and Taiwanese Han majorities. Super Citizen Ko tells the story of an idealistic left-leaning intellectual imprisoned for 30 years during the White Terror and martial law period of Taiwan (1947–1987), while The Spokesperson explores the grassroots Mao Cult to reveal the contemporary influence of the Cultural Revolution in mainland China (1966-1976).
In this dialogue of FCFF, four seemingly unrelated films are all linked with the universal threads of human rights and social justice.
timerAll films, except The Wheel of Life and Super Citizen Ko (screening for two hours), are available on demand for 24hrs starting from their show times.
11/27 (Fri) 7pm Eastern - 11/27 (Fri) 9pm Eastern, Live
WAN Jen│ 1994│ 120min│ Mandarin, Taiwanese (English + Mandarin subtitles)
The film narrates the political history of Taiwan over a period of 50 years, following the imposition of martial law in 1947 and ‘The White Terror.’ Suspected of being a leftist, KO spent around 30 years in prison and institutions, always obsessively worrying about the fate of his best friend CHEN executed in the 1950s. Their friendship and CHEN's fate is chronicled in flashback. Soon after his release, KO goes in search of the truth and a part of himself. Only when he learns the truth is he able to pay his respects.
This intense and sad film depicts the mind of KO as he wanders back and forth through time and space, history and the city, memory and reality. Using an idealistic political prisoner from the 50s to form a poignant contrast with the corrupt politicians of the 90s, WAN thrusts the motifs of “introspection” and “redemption” to the poetic summit using thick and heavy brush strokes, resulting in a great artistic achievement. (Source: Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute)
Director Spotlight: WAN Jen (萬仁)
One of the most influential directors in Taiwan’s New Wave Cinema of the 1980s, he made his debut, The Taste of Apple, in the landmark work The Sandwich Man (1983) with HOU Hsiao-Hsien and ZENG Chuang-Hsiang. WAN has consistently explored Taiwan’s social problems and political issues. His work has always been politically sensitive and critical of the impacts of industrialization and political corruption, and has been powerful in challenging how the past is presented and whose story is told. (Source: Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute)
11/27 (Fri) 9pm Eastern - 11/28 (Sat) 9pm Eastern
LAU Kek-huat│ 2019│ 89min│ Mandarin, Malay, Aslian (English subtitles)
2019 Golden Horse Awards - Best Documentary Nomination
(From the director) This story begins with a man’s portrait hanging in my family home in Malaysia. The identity of this man has always been a taboo, until one day I discovered it was my grandfather, whose identity was hidden from me because he was a member of the Malayan Communist Party. This is a journey to discover the secret history of my country through the eyes of my grandfather. (Source: Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute)
11/28 (Sat) 7pm Eastern - 11/29 (Sun) 7pm Eastern
XU Huijing│ 2016│97min│ Mandarin (English + Mandarin subtitles)
Cuizhen is a barber. As a latecomer to the village, she was not embraced well by locals. After a serious illness over a decade ago, however, she became a psychic possessed by Mao Zedong. Over the years, countrymen have worshipped so many people with magic power. While a lot of them claimed to represent Chairman Mao, revolutionaries or founding fathers, and wanted to build a heaven in the other world, Cuizhen didn’t agree. She just wanted to gather all those psychics and villagers, and celebrate Mao’s birthday once a year. The birthday preparation, however, didn’t go well, and it turned into a psychic battlefield for power and status. (Source: CNEX Catalogue)
11/28 (Sat) 9pm Eastern - 11/29 (Sun) 9pm Eastern
Mitch LIN, Gary TSENG│ 2018│117min│ Mandarin (English subtitles)
It's 2016, and director Mitch Lin is about to make a documentary about the nature of Karma and causality, curious to explore these mysteries with the help of "channels" who can relay messages from gods and spirits. On the first day of shooting, to his surprise, Mitch learns that the gods are contacting him through the channels: they want Mitch to resolve some karmic issues in his family and to do something to help the victims of the earthquake in Taiwan earlier that year in order for him to earn the right to tell this story.
On that day, Mitch embarks on an “invisible journey”, meeting channels and shamanic healers, and undergoing challenges, including one with 17th century Chinese naval hero Koxinga who expelled the Dutch colonizers from Taiwan and is now revered as a god. Koxinga reveals a startling secret and then gives Mitch and his crew a difficult mission: to seek out the Siraya, an aboriginal tribe who are historical occupants of an ancient battleground, and to work hand-in-hand with them to heal the memory of this wounded field. (Source: https://filmfreeway.com/TheJourneyWithInvisibleFriends )
*No English Subtitles