An annual film festival featuring movies on peace-related subjects was launched yesterday in Taipei in the hope that the Taiwanese can learn something about the global immigration phenomenon.
The 2007 Peace Film Festival will screen 20 movies in Taipei, Hsinchu and Taichung until Oct. 19. The festival presents various viewpoints about immigration and conflicts among ethnic groups from different countries such as Taiwan, Israel, Turkey and Italy, said Chien Hsi-chieh, chief executive officer of the Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan, the festival organizer.
The closing film, The Nyonya's Taste of Life, directed by Wen Chih-yi (
"Nyonya" is a Southeast Asian cuisine that is a mixture of Taiwanese and Malaysian food ingredients, symbolizing the co-existence of Taiwanese and new immigrants in Taiwan, Wen said.
Golden Door, the opening film, addresses the experience of an Italian immigrant family in the US.
"The world is experiencing the same immigration and conflicts of ethnic groups and Taiwan has a lot to learn. We have to learn how to treat new immigrants with respect and respect their basic human rights," said well-known director Hou Hsiao-hsien (
"If Taiwan could develop a complete system or mechanism that takes care of all the new immigrants and migrant workers, it would be the best diplomacy for our government," Hou said.
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