Birth of a Nation: Focus on Taiwan

Most people might find it confusing that I used ‘Birth of a Nation’ in the title of this retrospective to refer to Taiwan. But instead of asking ‘Is Taiwan a nation?’, we should rather raise the question: Why has the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign nation gone unrecognized by the international community?

Due to complicated political and historical reasons, Taiwan is officially called the Republic of China (ROC). Thus, it is often confused with the People’s Republic of China (PRC, usually referred to as ‘China’). In 1895, Taiwan became a Japanese colony and was under Japanese rule until 1945 when Japan lost WWII. In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) retreated to Taiwan after its defeat in the Chinese Civil War. The KMT placed Taiwan under martial law that lasted for 38 years until 1987. This so-called period of White Terror   caused long lasting political turmoil in Taiwan. The controversial issue of sovereignty affects   our national identity on a personal level, but it also leads to different interpretations of history, and to Taiwan’s cultural and ethnic diversity.

This retrospective programme consists of four sections. ‘Portrait of a Nation’ includes five documentaries that present vivid portraits of people belonging to different communities of the island.  ‘Memory of a Nation’ represents personal memories and journeys from different periods of time, whereas 'Paradox of a Nation' focuses on the most contradictory and violent events in Taiwan’s recent history, as well as on powerful social movements. The four epic films in 'Time(s) of a Nation' reflect the spirit of different times through various social classes.

Coming back to the title ‘Birth of a Nation’, radical and even aggressive as it may seem, it is also ironic, sad, and yet, so true. The birth of a nation is built on the blood, tears and hardship of its people. The programme is dedicated to these people, in the hope of presenting a truthful and multi-faceted picture of the Taiwanese which shows who they are.

Curated by Wood LIN
Supported by Taiwan Film Institute, Taiwan Docs, and Taipei Representative Office, Budapest, Hungary

中文片名 Mandarine Titles	英文片名 English Titles	年份 Year
#1 國家的自傳 Portraits of a Nation
上山（數位修復版）	The Mountain (Digital Restoration)	1966
劉必稼（數位修復版）	Liu Pi-Chia (Digital Restoration)	1967
海有多深	How Deep Is the Ocean	2000
春天：許金玉的故事	Spring: The Story of Hsu Chin-Yu	2002
62年與6500哩之間	62 Years and 6,500 Miles Between	2005
#2 國家的記憶 Memory of a Nation
童年往事	A Time To Live, A Time To Die	1985
超級大國民	Super Citizen Ko	1995
斷線風箏	The Falling Kite	1999
餘生—賽德克．巴萊	Pusu Qhuni	2013
第六十九信	Letter #69	2016
回程列車	Return	2017
非戰之戰	The War that Never Was	2017
#3 國家的悖論 Paradox of a Nation
520事件	The 20th May Incident	1988
520事件：農民示威遊行	The 20th May Incident: Farmers' Demonstration	1988
520事件：卡車司機	The 20th May Incident: The Truck Driver	1988
晚間至清晨西門地區狀況－520事件	The 20th May Incident: Situation in Ximen from Nighttime to Early Morning	1988
520事件今宣判	Verdict Announced Today for the 20th May Incident	1988
我愛080	I Love (080)	1999
昔日拼貼	Resampling the Past	2010
佔領第561小時	The 561st Hour of Occupation	2014
無主之地：一部台灣電影	Terra Nullius or: How to Be A Nationalist	2015
下站停靠	Home Abroad	2017
#4 國家的時間／時代 Time(s) of a Nation
一一	Yi Yi (A One and a Two)	2000
美麗時光	The Best Of Times	2002
牽阮的手	Hand in Hand	2010
日曜日式散步者	Le Moulin	2015