Taiwan – The Island of Freedom

6–7:20 PM screening: The Mountain (director: Su Hung-en, producer: Li Jia-ling, 2015, ES, 60min)
Taiwan from the point of view of an elderly aboriginal man whose personal story reflects the colonial history of the island and shows a more simple lifestyle in the Taiwanese countryside. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

7:30–9:20PM Godspeed Taiwan (directors: Jeff Broadway and Kai Boydell, producer: Sam Lang, 2013, ES, 50 min)

The documentary film features recent political history, attempts at a transition towards full-scale democracy and its partial failures. The main protagonist is the political activist and ex-presidential candidate Peng Ming-min, yet the film introduces other important political figures, including ex-Taiwanese presidents, the „father of democracy“ Lee Teng-hui (1988–2000), KMT president Ma Ying-jeou (2008–2016) and Tsai Ing-wen who ran for the presidental election in 2012 and was eventually elected in 2016. The film thus introduces an uncluttered mosaic of the political situation in Taiwan during the 20th and 21st centuries.

The two films are followed by a panel discussion with three Taiwanese filmmakers (Leh Chyun-lin from Public Television Service, Teling Chen from Taiwan Fim Institute and director Su Hung-en, ES) on the topic of the recent election results, democracy in Taiwan, cross-strait relations and forthcoming challenges, which is lead by expert on modern Taiwan history from the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Niki Alsford, and sinologist Martin Hála.

The discussion is moderated by Kateřina Procházková.

TECO director mr. Lu Sheau-jung will give his welcome speech.

Discussions are held in English with Czech interpretation.

The event is supported by the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, Václav Havel Library, One World Human Rights Film Festival and Spotlight Taiwan grant programme.