Sat, Oct 05, 2019 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  ENTERTAINMENT

  ‘Gemini Man’ sets premiere

  Gemini Man, the 15th film by Taiwanese-American director Ang Lee (李安), is to make its Taiwanese premiere in Taipei on Oct. 23. Lee is to be joined by lead actor and Hollywood star Will Smith, as well as producers Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison, for a three-day promotional tour of the nation from Oct. 20 to 22. Originally scheduled for Oct. 25, the release date was moved up by two days to coincide with Lee’s birthday. Gemini Man tells the story of a middle-aged assassin, played by Smith, being pursued by a younger assassin, who he discovers is literally a younger version of himself. The film uses motion capture technology that allows Smith’s performance as his younger self to be transferred into a completely digitally rendered character. The film’s visual effects supervisor, Bill Westenhofer, earned acclaim for his work with Lee on The Life of Pi.

  SOCIETY

  Silver Spitfire jet to visit

  A legendary World War II British fighter plane is to visit the nation in the middle of this month as part of a global fundraising campaign, the British Office Taipei said on Thursday. The fighter, a restored single-seat Supermarine Spitfire aircraft renamed the Silver Spitfire, is to fly to Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and Kaohsiung International Airport, but the exact date of its arrival is unknown due to constantly changing weather conditions, engineering issues and international border regulations, the office said in a Facebook post. The Silver Spitfire, which served in 51 combat missions during World War II, was restored in May and finished in polished aluminum with the guns removed. The fighter’s global travel, organized by the British Boultbee Flight Academy and called “The Longest Flight,” started in the UK on Aug. 5 as a fundraising campaign to support the UN’s International Children’s Emergency Fund, which saves children’s lives and defends their rights in more than 190 countries and territories, the post said. The Silver Spitfire has flown across Canada, the US, Russia and Japan, and is to travel to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Europe after visiting Taiwan, and return to the UK in December, the Web site says.

  FOREIGN RELATIONS

  AIT celebrates F&B month

  As part of a year-long campaign celebrating friendship and cooperation between the US and Taiwan, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has designated this month as its Food and Beverage Month. Since the beginning of the year, the AIT@40 campaign has been holding monthly events, with themes highlighting the nature of US-Taiwan ties as the two countries celebrate 40 years since the enactment of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). “It is only fitting that October, a traditional harvest month, was selected to honor the close ties between the United States and Taiwan in agricultural development and commerce,” the AIT said in a statement released on Tuesday. To illustrate this relationship, the AIT collected oral histories from key leaders whose commitment to the US-Taiwan agricultural relationship spans many decades. Their stories are to appear on the AIT’s Web site throughout this month. The AIT will also announce activities on Facebook so that people can appreciate their favorite American food products, it said, adding that participants who post pictures and stories about their favorite US food experiences could win prizes. Other activities include a visit by the California Vintners Trade Mission, a seminar by a master sommelier and a special screening of the Public Television Service documentary The Organic Lifestyle.
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