“After the Snowmelt” is a coming-of-age tale where youth grapple with the first profound loss. Filmmaker Yi-Shan's best friends in high school, Chun and Yueh, were trapped in a Nepal cave for 47 days due to unseasonal snowfall. Chun died three days before Yueh's rescue, leaving behind a last wish: “The survivor must share their story.” To honor this wish, Yi-Shan takes up the camera, accompanies Yueh to the mountains, and retraces Chun’s footsteps in Nepal.
During World War II, Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. This documentary explores the experiences of Taiwanese soldiers, doctors, and overseas residents in Southeast Asia during that time. Using cross-generational memory dialogues, family letters, diaries, and videos, the film addresses the complexities of Taiwan's historical memory and diverse identities during that period.
Discover the most representative of Taiwanese documentaries with our fascinating selection from Taiwan Docs. Until December 9th you have the opportunity to join us and see these stories from Taiwan in a special program. Started with a pioneer of Taiwanese political documentary Green Team, the Full Shot Foundation, noted for its long-term observational shooting, and numerous significant Taiwanese documentaries from the mid-1980s to the late 2000s.
At the peak of his career as a choreographer, Bulareyaung felt lost. He returned to Taitung to work with young Indigenous performers. These mostly untrained dancers are pursuing their dreams in their homeland, and their free-spirited personalities remind him of his youth. Surrounded by dancers who feel like family, Bulareyaung gradually realizes that reconnecting with his Indigenous community through dance rekindles the child within him.
A group of Taiwanese leprosy patients have been segregated for their entire lives on the urban fringe of Taipei, Taiwan. These aged patients have built their lives in this island-like leper colony. 20 years ago the Taiwanese government forced open the gates of their community and began to destroy their land for economic development.
Colors play a crucial symbolic role in political activities, as people use vivid attire to express their distinct political stances. "Hong Kong yellow" symbolizes democracy and freedom, akin to "Taiwan green," which signifies progress and independence. These colors share commonalities on certain levels. However, "Taiwan green" and "Taiwan blue" stand in opposition; the former supports progressive policies and sovereignty, while the latter is often associated with conservatism and support for unification.
In a clinic in Yangon, most of the patients have mental disorders, including insomnia and auditory hallucination. Furthermore, some of them have drinking problems and must quit alcohol. The two doctors who run the clinic are a couple who are also artists. They not only use medicine to calm their patients down but teach them arts, allowing the patients to vent their hallucination and madness through artistic creation.
This documentary is about the late artist Li Yuan-Chia and his journey from China, Taiwan, Italy, and to the UK. He built a museum on his own (L.Y.C. Museum) in the middle of nowhere in the British countryside in the 1970s. The local people called him the “Chinaman.”
