Catch a film festival that really does rock

This summer it's going to rock! The long-awaited Ho-Hai-Yan Music Film Festival, along with the five-day free rock festival at Fulong Beach (福隆海灘), is going to blow your head off.

The name Ho-Hai-Yan

comes from a beautiful Aboriginal legend that goes: One day, the Aboriginal ancients discovered the sea, but they weren't sure what to name it. With their ears to the water, they listened as the waves rolled onto the shore. A melody seemed to emerge -- "Ho-Hai-Yan" -- and since that day the phrase Ho-Hai-Yan has been used in Aboriginal songs.

The Ho-Hai-Yan Rock Festival is already the biggest music event in Taiwan, so this time they are trying something different as the organizers combine a film festival with a rock festival.

As there has been a connection between rock music and movies for a long time in the Western world (particularly the US), this film festival will surely draw huge attention in town.

Woodstock, Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz, Janis Joplin and Grateful Dead in Festival Express and The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, are just some of the attractions.

So just leave your sofa and check out films at the President Cinema from July 15 to July 19; at Fulong Beach from July 20 to July 23. All the screenings are free, but you need to ask for tickets at ERA ticket (年代售票系統) for the screenings at President Cinema. Check all the festival info at www.tdda.org/hohaiyanmff/news.htm.