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Taiwanese director wins at Houston film festival

Taiwanese director Chen Wen-pin (陳文彬) accepted the Platinum Award at the 41st WorldFest Houston International Film Festival in the culture category on Sunday for his work A Thousand Years of Atayal (泰雅千年), a film documenting the life and culture of the Atayal tribe.

The Government Information Office (GIO) made the announcement in a press release after the festival concluded on Sunday.

“The film focuses on the hard times the Atayal have been through over thousands of years, from their migration in the past to their destitute life in modern cities, exhibiting their wisdom embodied in the vicissitudes of history,” said Chung Chih-yuan (鍾致遠), a GIO official.

Chung said that the film demonstrated the spirit of ethnic harmony in the country.

The story revolves around the life of a young Atayal man called Yukan, who works in a big city and has recurring dreams of an ancient Atayal village.

Yukan later discovers that the village is actually the home of his ancestors and decides to visit it in search of his identity.

The film marks the second time that a Taiwanese director has received a platinum award, the festival’s highest honor, after such an award was presented to Taiwan Blooms Across the World (驚豔台灣花卉) in the category of agriculture two years ago, the GIO said.

The documentary featured technological advances in the horticultural industry and focuses on Taiwan’s world-renowned orchids.

Two GIO-produced documentaries featuring Taiwanese folk culture also received awards at the festival.

A documentary titled Taiwan’s Festivals: Links with the Past, Bridges to the Future (節慶在台灣:從傳統到現代) received a gold award in the culture category.

It features the festivals that imbue people’s lives and cultures with vitality and structure.

The other documentary, A Night of Magic: The Lantern Festival in Taiwan (魔幻今宵:燈節在台灣), received a gold award in the religion category.

The film introduces the origins and meaning of the Lantern Festival celebrations which comprise a myriad of rituals during the 15 days of Lunar New Year every year.
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