Suspended Duty - Taiwan Military Training Regiment
Country:
- Taiwan
Language:
- Mandarin
- Taiwanese
- Hakka
- Haian Amis
- Portrait
- Politics
- History
Synopsis
Formed in 1950 under General Sun Li-jen, Taiwan's Military Training Regiment recruited over 4,000 young men to build a new army. Abruptly ordered into 'suspended duty', they waited decades without discharge. Through interviews and satirical propaganda-style narration, the film examines how politics disciplines bodies, silences dissent, and asks: who were they meant to fight for?
Director Statement
Kuo Liang-yin: 'On 12 March 2011, after Suspended Duty: Taiwan Military Training Regiment won Best Documentary at Taiwan's Golden Harvest Awards, I did an online interview from my studio in Tokyo with journalists in Taiwan. The Great East Japan Earthquake had struck the day before — Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant was on the brink of meltdown, and radioactive dust was drifting towards Tokyo. After the interview, I packed my bag and looked back at the studio, thinking I might lose everything.
The disaster's impact exceeded all expectations. The film's release was delayed, and while rushing to work on my next documentary, I missed the window to organise screenings across Taiwan. I have long felt regret and owe an apology to the veterans of Taiwan's Military Training Regiment. I am grateful to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute for this screening and plan to create Taiwanese-language subtitles for the film to start a new chapter.’
Festivals & Awards
2010 Taiwan International Documentary Festival - Int'l Short Film Competition
2010 South Taiwan Film Festival - In Competition
2011 Golden Harvest Awards - Best Documentary
Team
- Music
- Director
- Producer
- Editor
- Sound Designer
- Producer
- Cinematographer
- Narrator
Gallery
