English

Random

Memorializing the White Terror: The Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park

·March 9, 2021·6 min read

The Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park in Taipei is one of the two White Terror sites managed by the National Human Rights Museum. Without knowing Taiwan’s history, this park would look like a quaint college campus from a bygone era, but as the name of the park implies, this was a historical site dedicated to the legacy of White Terror, the very place where victims of White Terror were interrogated, tried, and imprisoned Read More

Queer Desire and Death

English Film

·April 8, 2021·3 min read

In the hands of a lesser director, Wrath of Desire would not be the sum of its parts. In fact, the film would be something of a train wreck. However, in Zero Chou’s capable hands, Wrath of Desire is not only a stylistically distinctive film, but one which is thought-provoking. The film is one of six about LGBTQ-related issues by Chou, which she plans to shoot in East Asian cities. Chou is one of Taiwan’s best-known contemporary queer film directors Read More

A World Imbued with Mystery, Love, and Beauty

English Film

·May 4, 2021·4 min read

Gunda is is the kind of documentary film that makes cinema art. The world Gunda created is imbued with mystery, love, and beauty Read More

A Personal Look at a Young Activist

English Film

·June 16, 2021·5 min read

I Am Greta is a documentary film about climate activist Greta Thunberg, the central figure of the 2018 climate strike movement. Thunberg, a high school student, started protesting the inaction of the government in regards to climate change by skipping school and going on strike on Fridays. This simple act of rebellion, at first done only by Thunberg herself, slowly caught the attention of other students, and eventually grew into a global climate strike movement, participated by students around the world. Thunberg’s reputation was catapulted to celebrity status by the media, and as a result, she was invited to many UN climate meetings Read More

Cross-Racial Friendship in Hong Kong’s Underworld

English Film

·July 30, 2021·3 min read

Hand Rolled Cigarette is a well-made film, proving something like the Hong Kong version of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. Although the film starts off slow, its narrative gradually builds strength over time Read More

Everyone is an Island

English Life

·March 23, 2021·3 min read

There are no answers in the vast endless ocean...only questions Read More

Review: Pebbles

English Film

·March 4, 2021·3 min read

Pebbles is an understated and modest film, minimalist in plot—and it is a short one, clocking in at one hour and fifteen minutes. But it is a beautifully shot film and, moreover, a highly effective first outing for director PS Vinothraj Read More

Book Review: The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism

Books English Text

·February 9, 2021·5 min read

In 2016, Trump shocked liberal Democrats. They should not have been shocked. It takes a certain level of ignorance and magic thinking to believe in their candidate at the time. Hilary Clinton, after all, is the spouse of a president whose trade policies were largely responsible for the closing of factories and deindustrialization of the nation Read More

The Dignity of Everyday Existence: Chen Cheng-Hsiung’s Anping, Peace, People Preliminary Exhibition

English Events Exhibitions

·February 4, 2021·5 min read

The Tainan Art Museum has some of Chen Cheng-Hsiung's most well-known works on display currently. These pieces are from his mature period and are very fine examples of his work Read More

A Glimpse at Democracy in Motion

English Film

·May 11, 2021·4 min read

Taking Back the Legislature, produced by the Hong Kong Documentary Filmmakers group, is a powerful document of one of the most dramatic events of the Hong Kong protests of summer 2019 Read More

Diasporic Loss and Foreign Gods

English Film Language

·May 14, 2021·3 min read

The short film, “Kuroshio Current,” aims to tell a story of diasporic loss framed by traditional Taiwanese folk religion Read More

Taiwanese Animated Shorts at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival

English Film

·June 25, 2021·10 min read

The following Taiwanese animated shorts for children were reviewed as part of the “Formosa Fantastica” section of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland. The film festival will be held from July 2nd to July 10th in a hybrid format, with simultaneously live-streamed events in Neuchâtel and Taipei Read More