Asian Independent Cinema Showcase & South Taiwan Film Festival
In Search of Home: Short Films Selection and Conversation with Filmmakers
Friday, 22 March 2024
18:00-20:30 PDT
AERL 120, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Laboratory
2202 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver | Map
Parking: UBC Health Sciences Parkade, 2250 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver | Map
Co-presented by South Taiwan Film Festival and Asian Independent Cinema Showcase, this short films selection presents TOH Tze Wei’s “The Darkest Night”, WU Yu-Fen’s “There”, and KWOK Zune’s “Night is Young.” Speaking in Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Indonesian, the three award-winning short films tell stories of the underrepresented in different parts of Asia and the possibility of finding hope and home.
“The Darkest Night” is the recipient of the Best Director Award (Student Category) at The European Film Award for Best Cinematographer. “There” received the Best Live Action Short (Student Category) at the Golden Harvest Awards. “Night is Young” was named the Best Live Action Short Film at the Golden Horse Awards.
This is the first time the three award-winning short films will be shown in Vancouver and is the third program of the inaugural edition of the Asian Independent Cinema Showcase. The three directors will participate in a virtual conversation following the screening.
English subtitles to be provided.
In-person Event. Free of charge. Limited seats available. Registration required
The Darkest Night 鐵樹開了花
Directed by TOH Tze Wei
Malaysia, Taiwan │ 2019 │ 19 min │ Color │ Chinese, Malay, Hokkien
✧ 2020 South Taiwan Film Festival, Best Live Action Short Film Nomination
✧ 2020 Golden Harvest Award, Best Live Action Short (Student Category) Nomination
✧ 2019 SeaShorts Film Festival, New Wave Category (In competition)
✧ 2019 The European Film Award for Best Cinematographer, Best Director (Student Category)
Synopsis:
In 1980s, Zhen Xi Primary School was forced to close by the government because of the small number of people. The school’s principal, Lin Cai Liang, had no choice but to leave school. Gradually, there are often Malay officials in uniform in the village. They lobbied day after day in various households, hoping that they would move their children to the Malay school in the next village to continue school. Many parents are worried about their children’s education. Ming Xia is not willing to go to Malay school. Ming Xia hope that the principal can reopen Zhen Xi Primary School after get the seal back.
About the Director:
My name is Tze Wei. I am a director from Malaysia. I directed five short films during my school days in Taiwan.
鐵樹開了花
杜芷慧作品
馬來西亞、臺灣 │ 2019 │ 19 min │ 彩色 │ 華語、馬來語、福建語
✧ 2020 南方影展 最佳劇情短片 入圍
✧ 2020 金穗獎 劇情片 學生作品類 入圍
✧ 2019 東南亞短片影展 新浪潮單元 入圍
✧ 2019 歐洲攝影影展 最佳學生導演獎
影片簡介
修齊小學因學生人數過少而遭到政府的強制性關閉。鳴夏聽聞母親打算將自己送到另一家馬來學校去上課。他隱隱約約地察覺到了政府為了消滅多元語種的陰謀。於是他開始在村子內發起了連署保校運動，希望能夠幫助校長將學校申請開回來。另一方面，警察也開始懷疑校長有反政府的舉動，並欲逮捕校長。獲悉一切的鳴夏踏上了尋找校長的旅程。
導演簡介
杜芷慧，1996年於馬來西亞出生，2015年來到台灣求學。
從小就熱愛故事，堅信藝術是平凡世界的唯一救贖。目前正於南京大學戲劇影視系攻讀學術碩士，立志為世上留下一些好故事。
THERE 入世
Directed by WU Yu-Fen
Taiwan｜2020｜Color｜29 min｜Mandarin, Taiwanese, Indonesian
✧ 2021 Golden Harvest Awards, Best Student Narrative Short Film
✧ 2021 Busan International Short Film Festival, International Category (In competition)
✧ 2020 Venice Shorts Film Festival, Best U.S. and International Female Director
Synopsis:
The old grandpa had passed away. The Indonesia caregiver, Shally, helped to hold the funeral with grandma and uncle. However, none of the children came home. Under such circumstances, Shally was forced on behalf of one of the family members…
About the Director:
National Chengchi University Department of Radio & Television
入世
吳郁芬作品
臺灣｜2020｜DCP｜彩色｜29 min｜中文、臺語、印尼語發音
✧ 2021 第43屆金穗獎 最佳學生劇情片
✧ 2021 韓國釜山國際短片電影節 國際競賽 入圍
✧ 2020 美國洛杉磯威尼斯短片電影節 最佳美國／國際女導演獎
影片簡介
阿公過世了，印尼籍看護莎莉看著阿嬤跟四叔公操辦台灣葬禮。
在沒有人回來奔喪的情況下，莎莉被逼著――成為喪禮的「親族」⋯⋯
導演簡介
國立政治大學廣播電視學系。
Night is Young 夜更
Directed by Zune KWOK
Hong Kong〡2020〡25min〡Color〡Cantonese
✧2020 Golden Horse Award, Best Live Action Short Film
✧2020 South Taiwan Film Festival, South Award
✧2020 Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film Competition, International Category (In competition)
Synopsis:
What a night shift taxi driver experienced under the political unrest atmosphere in the year of 2019, Hong Kong.
About the Director:
KWOK Zune, born in 1985, based in Hong Kong. Fiction short film director. His 10 works are all about lower-class characters in the society.
夜更
郭臻作品
香港〡2020〡25min〡彩色〡粵語
✧2020 金馬獎 最佳劇情短片
✧2020 南方影展 南方首獎
✧2020 高雄電影節國際短片競賽國際組 入圍
影片簡介
2019年下旬香港社會運動中，一名計程車司機所經歷的一夜。
導演簡介
郭臻，1985年生，香港導演。多以劇情方式呈現基層人物的故事。目前為止，共有十部劇情短片作品。
About the Asian Independent Cinema Showcase:
The Asian Independent Cinema Showcase (AICS) is a UBC-based film festival that aims to foster a film appreciation community within and beyond the university; cultivate media literacy and cross-cultural understanding; and give voices to independent stories told by Asian filmmakers. Broadly speaking, an "independent film" is considered to be a creative work produced outside big or mainstream studios. Through the lens of independent cinemas, the AICS is committed to serve as a participatory platform for publication and dialogue between independent storytellers, underrepresented groups, cultural practitioners, emerging talents, academics, students, and members of the public. The inaugural edition is supported by the UBC Public Humanities Hub seed grant.
About the South Taiwan Film Festival:
Established in millennium, the South Taiwan Film Festival (STFF) aims to supporting film art, especially filmmakers who dedicated to offer unique perspectives of modern society. Being one of the few independent film festivals in Taiwan, and the only indie film festival in south Taiwan, the STFF has been supported not only by Tainan city government, MOC(ministry of Culture, Taiwan), but most important, all audience and indie film makers all around the world. Hence, regarding cinema as a platform which links with filmmakers and audience. We, the STFF presents annually high-profile events, panorama,【South Award—Chinese film Competition】by premieres of films, in-depth seminar after screens, talks and forums focus on environment, audio-visual aesthetics and contemporary issues of society.
The STFF members are originally from students in graduate institute of Audio-Visual Academy in National Tainan Art University, along with well-known Taiwan female director and professor Yu-Shan HUANG. Now the STFF members are mainly from various specialties and most of all, big fans of cinema.
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This event is co-presented by the Asian Independent Cinema Showcase and the South Taiwan Film Festival; is co-organized by the Hong Kong Studies Initiative, University of British Columbia, and the Institute for Transpacific Cultural Research, Simon Fraser University; and is supported by the UBC Department of Asian Studies, the Public Humanities Hub, the Watt Family – Hong Kong Studies Initiative Fund, and the Centre for Chinese Research.
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