The Taipei Film Festival continues this weekend -- albeit without any
Taiwanese films -- but for those hungry for films with Taiwanese flair, Urban
Nomad, a lower-profile film fest going on this weekend, should satiate
appetites for local filmmaking left unsatisfied with the selection at TFF.
"A lot of the films refer to Taiwan, show people in Taiwan, and all are made
by people who live in Taiwan," co-organizer David Frazier said. "We are
aiming more for entertainment quality than high art."
The fest runs from tonight through Sunday, with one feature per night to
stand out among the film selections dominated by three to five-minute
shorts. In addition, co-organizer Sean Scanlan, a freelance writer and
promoter of literary events, wrote a performance that includes live and
video-taped elements to be performed on both Friday and Saturday night.
Shu-lea Cheang (鄭淑麗), an acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker whose films have
been showcased at several international film festivals, and Tony Wu
(吳俊輝), credited for bringing the experimental film movement to Taiwan,
are probably the most notable directors whose films will be part of Urban
Nomad. Cheang's porno sci-fi flick IKU is lined up as Saturday's feature.
Tickets are sold as one-day passes for NT$150 or three-day passes for
NT$250. That's three days of entertainment for about the same price as a
low-end mixed drink at Carnegie's. Urban Nomad will take place at the Wumei
Winery (烏梅酒廠) in the Whashan Arts District, 1 Pateh Rd., Sec. 1
(華山藝文特區，八德路一段一號). The schedule is available online at www.expoextra.com
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