Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival is the most widely recognized LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. Taiwan is the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The two LGBTQ+ parties partnered for the first time in 2020, showcasing various Taiwanese LGBTQ creative film contents to the international audience. This year, with the support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles partners again with Frameline45 San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival to virtually present “Focus on Taiwan” through June 17-27, 2021. This program comprises 3 feature films, 1 shorts block entitled “Taiwan Shorts,” and a “Taiwan Focus” panel discussion. The shorts block and the panel are free for viewing. All films can be viewed On-Demand throughout the United States. All are welcome to watch online.
Among the feature lineup of “Focus on Taiwan,” the Golden Horse Awards winner “Dear Tenant” centers around the ties that bind a trio of a tenant, a landlord and her grandson. Directed by Yu-Chieh Cheng, it is a moving portrait of not only gay love, but also unconditional love and family relationship. It won the 2020 Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Film Score. Another feature film “As We Like It,” co-directed by Hung-i Chen and Muni Wei, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Boasting the first Taiwanese film with all-female cast, it depicts the love fairytales of four couples. It was selected for the Big Screen Competition of the 2021 International Film Festival Rotterdam. Directed by Arvin Chen, another feature film “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” clashes against traditional format of romance films with multiple storylines reflecting modern people’s confusion over love, marriage, and life. It was selected for the “Panorama” section in the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival.
Regarding the short films, “Unnamed” is about the young generation crying out in frustration in this era when sexuality and self-identity have become uncategorizable; “Taiwan Pride for the World” presents a pride parade in Taipei during the COVID-19 pandemic; “Hidden” is about a thirteen-year-old teenager who hides his sexuality and is getting lost while growing up; “Undercurrent” portrays men living in Taiwan under martial law, who strived to escape from government, society, and the affection buried in their hearts. Moreover, director Hui-yu Su’s new work “The Women’s Revenge” will be screened at “Dark Twisted Fantasies.” As the current iteration of Hui-yu Su’s “reshooting” series which revisits banned cinematic works during Taiwan’s period of martial law, this film reimagines those of female-driven exploitation in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Another highlight of “Focus on Taiwan” program is the Taiwan Focus panel that will be available at 5:30pm PDT on Jun 23, 2021, where it will be broadcast on Frameline’s Facebook and YouTube channels. This in-depth talk will invite filmmakers and industry professionals to share the various development of LGBTQ cinema in Taiwan, and its recent rise on Netflix and other streaming platforms.
Founded in 1977 by media arts nonprofit Frameline, the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival has become the longest-running and largest LGBTQ film festival in the United States. With an annual attendance of 60,000+, the festival is held every year for 11 days in late June that coincides with the annual San Francisco Pride parade. This year, Frameline45 is going big in compliance with the COVID-19 policies. It extends duration of the Festival from June 10 to 27 in both online and offline format.