The movie A Foggy Tale (大濛), which received 11 nominations for the 62nd Golden Horse Awards, including the Best Narrative Feature Award, premiered last night in Chiayi where it was filmed.
Set 70 years ago and starring Taiwanese actresses Caitlin Fang (方郁婷), Joanne Tang (湯毓綺) — better known by her stage name 9m88 — and Hong Kong actor Will Or (柯煒林), the film is spoken in mainly Hoklo (better known as Taiwanese).
Photo: CNA
The story focuses on the White Terror era, the period of political persecution that began when former president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) declared martial law in 1949.
It follows a young girl who learns her brother has been executed and travels from Chiayi to Taipei to find her sister and claim his body, meeting a trishaw driver along the way who begins to play a brotherly role in her life.
The movie was shot across various locations in Chiayi, including Wanguo Cinema, Chiayi Old Prison and the Showa 18 site in Chiayi Park, which houses relics of the Japanese colonial period including the former purification hall and the administrative office of the Chiayi Shinto Shrine.
In one scene, Showa 18, is transformed into the fictional “Jile Funeral Home” and the old prison bathhouse is reimagined as a morgue.
It also recreates the style of 1950s song-and-dance troupes at Wanguo Cinema, with Tang performing as a showgirl.
Audience members who experienced the White Terror said last night that it brought back memories of the fear felt by Taiwanese at the time, while underscoring the peace in contemporary Taiwan.
Last night’s premiere was attended by director Chen Yu-hsun (陳玉勳), producer Yeh Ju-fen (葉如芬), Tang and Chiayi County Commissioner Weng Chang-liang (翁章梁).
The name A Foggy Tale refers to the Hoklo word for “fogged over,” which symbolizes how many things in Taiwan 70 years ago were “obscured like a mist,” Chen said.
Chen thanked the Chiayi County Government and local organizations for their support in providing access to historical locations and helping to recreate the environment of 1950s Taiwan.
Weng thanked director Chen for helping more people discover and fall in love with Chiayi through the film.
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