Women Make Waves Film Festival director Pecha Lo (羅珮嘉) and programmer Wang Chun-chi (王君琦) give the Taipei Times their top recommendations from this year’s program.
‘ON HER SHOULDERS’
This year’s opening film is a documentary about Nadia Murad, the Iraqi Yazidi activist who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to end sexual violence as a weapon of war. The documentary focuses not on Murad’s traumatic experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Islamic State, but on her work to cast an international spotlight on sexual violence after her ordeal. Wang says that the documentary addresses the complications and limitations that arise when people in developing countries turn to the Western, developed world for support.
Photo courtesy of Women Make Waves Film Festival
‘UNA PRIMAVERA’
This German-Italian-Austrian production, screening under the “Gray Dynamics of Love and Hope” section, follows a middle-aged wife and mother who wants out of an unfulfilling marriage. Lo says it was one of the most controversial films seen by the festival’s selection committee, which had long discussions about whether the film’s conclusion sent the right messages about feminism.
‘VAI’
Photo courtesy of Women Make Waves Film Festival
This film is a rare work by a group of eight indigenous female Pacific Island filmmakers. In a series of vignettes set in different Pacific nations, each filmmaker explores the relationship of the titular Vai — which means “water” — to her ancestral homeland and traditions. Wang highlights the intersectionality of indigenous and female experiences achieved in the film. Vai screens under the “Original Shouts” section, which presents films by and about indigenous women in Taiwan and around the world.
‘IRINA’
Infidelity, pregnancy, familial ties and an unfortunate twist of fate inform the tough life choices that Irina has to make. Lo says that this Bulgarian film, also screening under the “Gray Dynamics of Love and Hope” section, questions the neat conclusions we have about a woman’s right to choose.
Photo courtesy of Women Make Waves Film Festival
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
There is perhaps no better way to soak up the last of Taipei’s balmy evenings than dining al fresco at La Piada with a sundowner Aperol Spritz and a luxuriant plate of charcuterie. La Piada (義式薄餅) is the brainchild of Milano native William Di Nardo. Tucked into an unassuming apartment complex, fairy lights and wining diners lead the way to this charming slice of laid-back Mediterranean deli culture. Taipei is entirely saturated with Italian cuisine, but La Piada offers something otherwise unseen on the island. Piadina Romagnola: a northern Italian street food classic. These handheld flatbreads are stuffed with cold
Oct. 14 to Oct. 20 After working above ground for two years, Chang Kui (張桂) entered the Yamamoto coal mine for the first time, age 16. It was 1943, and because many men had joined the war effort, an increasing number of women went underground to take over the physically grueling and dangerous work. “As soon as the carts arrived, I climbed on for the sake of earning money; I didn’t even feel scared,” Chang tells her granddaughter Tai Po-fen (戴伯芬) in The last female miner: The story of Chang Kui (末代女礦工: 張桂故事), which can be found on the Frontline
In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
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