Taiwanese Film Festival comes to Vancouver

The 7th annual Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival (TWFF) is back for the summer.

It takes place from June 14th to June 16th at the Vancouver International Film Centre.

The festival is presented by UBC Literature Etc. (UBCLE) and sponsored by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver. 

The theme this year is “Home”.

A listing of this year's films is below. For more information go to www.twff.ca.

 

 

Go Grandriders

 

Director: Hua Tien-hau (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 90 minutes

Screening Time: June 14th 7:00PM; June 16th 1:30PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

At eighty, have you the heart to pursue the dreams you had when you were eighteen?

A group of senior citizens averaging eighty-one years old embark on what may be the most daring adventure of their lives: a thirteen-day tour entirely on motorcycle around the island of Taiwan. A number in the group have heart problems, two have had cancer, four need hearing aids, five have high pressure and by professional medical opinion two-thirds of the group are not qualified to undertake this risky endeavour. Defying society’s expectations, the seventeen Grandriders personally delivers the message of “aging should never stop one from daring to dream” to the hearts of everyone they meet throughout their 1178 kilometer long journey.

 

 

My Dear Stilt

 

Director: Cai Yinjuan, Li Zhiqiang (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 107 minutes

Screening Time: June 14th 9:30PM; June 15th 4:15PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

Haunted is the man who thinks he can change who he is by moving to a different place.

On the surface, Min is a man who lives a dream life. He has great looks, a job he is passionate about at the Taipei wild bird conservatory and a loving wife. However, the expert of the Black-winged Stilt harbours dark storms within. There is daily growing tension between him and his wife over family planning. He and his brother, who were once in good terms, have been cold-shouldering each other for years. Last is the past he left behind to soar to where he is. All tension is released and mayhem unleashed when a crisis brings him back to his old home Yun-Ling, the town he came from. Meanwhile, oblivious to the life of the man who studies them, the migratory Stilts continue their annual ritual. Hidden with their feathery actions is a message of love waiting for Min and his family to uncover.

 

 

Kehidupan Happy Debbie

 

Director: Fu Tianyu (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 88 minutes

Screening Time: June 15th 9:30PM; June 16th 3:45PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

When the coffee aroma fills the air, everything will find its place.

Debbie is a resident foreigner in Taiwan. She grew up on a coffee farm in Indonesia but a crisis led her to leave her home country and her first love. To support her family, for fifteen years she worked as a coffee bean picker on a plantation and married a veteran whom she bore a child with: Han, a boy with distinguished facial features from her genes. As her husband was an useless drunkard and her son often was often bullied, life was difficult for Debbie but she manages with coffee to console her soul. All until one day a mysterious Indonesian man shows up at her doors…

 

 

Love is Sin

 

Director: Huang Chaoliang (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 100 minutes

Screening Time: June 15th 7:00PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

A convenience store sitting beside the elementary school is not only the afterschool heaven for the kids, but also a warm neighbourhood cove. Aunt A-Mian, who runs the convenience store alone, attentively takes care of every hungry child, and facilitate the town’s folks’ lives. Aunt A-Mian’s tea-stewed eggs are like warmer packs - warming up people’s hearts. Midori, the old postman, and the melancholy kid, Yabi, both treated the convenience store as their homes, keeping A-Mian company. A-Mian’s lived like this everyday until one day when a foreign reverend arrived. At last, the secret hidden behind A-Mian’s smile is about to be revealed...

Sometimes, the love we poured onto others touches their hearts, shining in their lives like the stars in the night skies. While there are no returns for all of the love that is given, it does not mean that people won’t acknowledge its existence. “Just because a deserted railway will no longer have trains running, does not mean God has left an abandoned church. It is just like how the stars in the sky are still there during the day, but are just invisible to people’s eyes”

 

 

To My Dear Granny

 

Director: Qu Youning (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 117 minutes

Screening Time: June 15th 1:30PM; June 16th 9:00PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

“Dear grandma, it is very difficult to tell your story, because it is so ordinary... There are many seemingly unimportant things which happened between us that changed me.”

A family without its father, a mother who buried her dreams because of reality, a grandma under the attack of con artists, and A-Da who is facing a huge predicament...

The story began with a letter, revealing layers of past memories and secrets between family members. Life is always full of unforgettable experiences, but the one that A-Da has the most trouble getting over is the memory of his grandma.

“Grandma has become a fairy and went traveling around the world.”

“What does it mean to ‘become a fairy’?”

“It means when you miss grandma, look up in the sky. If you see clouds, it means that grandma is watching us from behind the clouds.”

 

 

Together

 

Director: Xu Zhaoren (Taiwan R.O.C.)

Length: 114 minutes

Screening Time: June 16th 6:15PM

Location: VanCity Theatre (1181 Seymour St. Vancouver)

 

Synopsis: 

Caught at the heart of chaos, meet the 17 year old teenage boy Hsiao Yang. His parents, while not divorced, have each found themselves new partners. His sister is hopelessly head over heels for an indifferent playboy. Even his best friend, Chih-hao is stuck in a complicated situation between an ex-girlfriend and a girl who works at the local breakfast café. And the only thing Hsiao Yang possesses to remedy all of these problems is a cheesy – did I mention cheesy – cheesy love letter.

Together is a light-hearted, romantic comedy that delves into the dynamics within friends and families. When Hsiao’s sister is dumped by her abusive playboy of a boyfriend, Hsiao is determined to defend his sister’s honour. When he tries to round up his friends for help, they are all reluctant, but ultimately throw aside their differences and go to his aid. One thing leads to another, and the bonds that tie these friends and family members together slowly uncover.

If you enjoy the occasional light-hearted, leisurely-paced, comedic film that packs some depth, this might just be the film for you.