Taiwan Film Festival is back in 2020 with this virtual edition streaming online from July 9 to 30, 2020.
https://www.taiwanfilmfestival.org.au/
Check out the various short films on offer.
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
LIPSTICK
The whole transgender experience spectrum is symbolically represented not only with the deep ruby red lips of the lipstick itself, but also with the sadness of the ocean and the immediate pleasure of that hearty piece of chicken.
BE SHIT OR NOT TO BE
Who says making a movie isn’t hard? Whether it’s an action or a zombie film, there is always politics and disagreements involved, enough to turn this director into the undead. Fluidly filmed with nonstop banter throughout.
UNNAMED
A beautifully filmed coming-of-age queer dramedy when a young closeted lesbian teen is outed to her father by her gay best friend. Starts with her wish for a gender-neutral name change and ends in a poignant dad-daughter moment.
A-TIEN
A hybrid dramedy mockumentary on an elderly taxi driver’s fight and struggle to maintain the status quo against big business and new technology in the taxi industry. A very feisty and fierce performance from the film’s lead A-Tien.
SHORT FILMS SELECTION
SCREENWRITING WTF
A comedic look at the struggles and frustrations of a screenwriter, with the script characters creatively come alive to popular film nods, from stylish IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE to a wacky zombie TITANIC and even GAME OF THRONES.
TEMPLE OF DEVILBUSTER
If you want to experience a whirlwind of colours and strobe-induced imagery, then this frenetic frenzy of martial arts sampling is just what you need to watch. It’s brash, highly stylised, and ready to slash its sword.
GOLDEN HORSE FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILMS
SPEEDY RECOVERY
In a style reminiscent of a richly hued Wes Anderson and a bit of grainy Wong Kar Wai, this wacky comedy farce aims to please with its surreal take on insurance scams and the outrageous consequences that come along with it.
ROOTLESS IN THE CITY
With a powerfully sensitive performance from the central character of the aimless Chih Hung, this quietly restrained film evokes the limitations of life and desire within the boundaries of one’s accepted fate and being.
The biggest film festival in Australia is the Sydney Film Festival which was held for twelve days last 8-19 June 2022, with so many film premieres from prestigious film festivals such as Berlinale, Venice, Cannes, and Sundance, among others. Twelve films vied for competition and the following are my favourites.
There are many lessons learned in Lauren Greenfield’s illuminating documentary on Imelda Marcos. It is probably the most piercingly truthful, critically revealing, all-encompassingly no-holds-barred account of Imelda Marcos and her family. It covers her glory years as First Lady of the Philippines to her eventual downfall up to the current era with her son Senator Bong Bong Marcos recently running and losing the 2016 vice-presidency race.
