On November 3 - 4, 2017, the ERCCT celebrated the twelfth Taiwan Documentary Film Festival. The programme this time, though, focused not only on documentary films but also included historical feature films. 

Friday, November 3, was dedicated to the work of our guest, director Wu Mi-sen, who presented 1. his 2003 documentary on an old mainlander veteran in Taipei, who longued for his home in Hebei province and was excited to make the acquaintance of a man claiming to be the legendary war hero, secret agent Changjiang No.1 (Experimental Taiwanese 月球學園); 2. the 2005 film on the use of corporeal punishment in Taiwan's education system and the damage this frequently caused (救命人 Twilight Zone); and 3. "西藏臺北 Tibet, Taipei" (2008), a documentary on the life of exiled Tibetans in Taiwan, India, and the United States. After a reception with some wine and much merriment, director Wu's 2015 movie about Puyuma tribal musicians making their way onto the stage of the National Concert Hall in Taipei - "很久沒有敬我了你 Kara-Orchestra" - completed the evening. 

On Saturday, November 4, the programme consisted of feature films from the Taiwan Film Institute, brought to Europe by a collaborative project of EATS General Secretary Dr. Ming-Yeh Rawnsley (SOAS) and Professor Chris Berry (King's College London) on "Taiwan's Lost Commercial Cinema". Dr. Rawnsley herself visited us for the festival to give a very informative introduction on the historical context of Taiwan's earliest commercial cinema on Saturday morning, before presenting 1. "天字一號 The Best Secret Agent" (1964), telling the tragic love story between secret agents of the anti-japanese resistance in World War II-Shanghai; 2. "地獄新娘 The Bride Who Has Returned from Hell" (1965), about a mysterious murder case in a rich Taichung family, and 3. "危險的青春 Dangerous Youth" (1969), the somewhat tragical and moralizing story about the relationship of a deliveryman, who dreams of easy wealth, and a young girl, trying to escape the life as a waitress in her mothers noodle shop. 

Both days were very instructive, and we express our gratitude to both Dr. Ming-Yeh Rawnsley and director Wu Mi-sen for coming to Tübingen share their work and expertise with us.

Click on the image to see all photos from the event!