The spotlight will be shined on two feature films and five shorts from Taiwan at the Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running from April 27 to May 4 in LA.
"Small Talk (日常對話),” a documentary directed by Taiwan's Huang Hui-chen (黃惠偵), explores LGBT+ topics through dialogues between a daughter and her mother, a closeted lesbian.
Starting from the daughter's attempts to understand her often-absent mother, their small talk reveals the painful past shared by the two, and the feature goes on to show the audience how they slowly repair the relationship.
"Small Talk” won the top prize for best documentary at the 2017 Teddy Awards, which honors films with queer themes at Germany's Berlinale.
"The Road to Mandalay (再見瓦城)” produced by Taiwan-based Burmese director Midi Z (趙德胤) details a romance between two illegal immigrants starting a new life in Bangkok.
However, as both labor and life are cheap in Bangkok's unofficial economy, the darkness of human trafficking, civil war, and dehumanized workers are set to a haunting soundtrack by Lim Giong (林強).
"The Road to Mandalay” is the first Taiwanese film to be named best international feature at the Amiens International Film Festival in France in 24 years. The previous winning entry by a Taiwanese director was "Pushing Hands (推手)” by Ang Lee (李安) in 1992.
The five shorts are "A Doll's Hug (擁抱),” about escaping the violence of reality; "Coin Boy (銅板少年),” about a boy whose family owns a claw machine business; "Dots (餘光),” about a girl who is losing her vision for unknown reasons; "I'm Fine (報平安),” about reflections on Taiwan's queer community; and "White Tunnel (白色隧道),” about the taxi ride of a dysfunctional family.
"The Road to Mandalay” and "Small Talk” are both in running for the top prize in the LAAPFF's International Competition, director Rob Chihwen Lo (羅志文) will attend the screening of his "A Doll's Hug,” and "Coin Boy” has been nominated for the LAAPFF's Shorts Competition.