A Taiwanese film featuring a cross-country scooter brigade of octogenarians has been nominated for an award in the Wide Angle Documentary Competition at the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea.
Go Grandriders (不老騎士), one of the 10 entries vying for the BIFF Mecenat Award, was directed by 31-year-old Hua Tien-hau (華天灝). Hua yesterday said the film was his first feature-length documentary and he was very excited and grateful that his film had been nominated.
The 90-minute film was based on the true story of 17 men, with an average age of 81, who decided to embark on a journey around Taiwan by motorcycle to fulfill their dream of seeing every part of the country.
Two of them were cancer survivors, eight had heart diseases and four of them wore hearing aids.
Despite their illnesses and opposition from their families, the men embarked on a 1,139km ride that took 13 days to complete.
“I’m very honored and happy that the spirit of ‘one is never too old to ride’ can be seen on the international stage,” Hua said, adding that the stories behind the men’s decision to ride are even more touching.
Hua will depart for South Korea to attend the film festival’s launch on Oct. 4.
The film’s world premiere will be screened at the festival on Oct. 5, followed by another two showings on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8. The director said he and an 88-year-old rider will meet fans at the third and last showing.
The BIFF, which runs until Oct. 13, will announce category winners on the festival’s final day. The film will be shown in Taiwan from Oct. 12.
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