UTSA East Asia Institute presents inaugural Taiwan film festival this fall

By Mimi Yu
Associate Director, East Asia Institute

(Oct. 8, 2013) -- The UTSA East Asia Institute (EAI) will host the inaugural "Discovering Taiwan Through Films" series. The screenings are free and open to the public. Each week a film will be showcased in Main Building Room 0.106 on the UTSA Main Campus. The series was made possible by a grant from the Taiwan Academy.

For more information, visit the UTSA East Asia Institute website, call 210-458-4943 or email eai@utsa.edu.

The films are:

• "Cape No. 7" -- 5:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22 (with opening reception)
• "Go Grandriders" -- 6-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29
• "Love" -- 6-8:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12

After each film, there will be a panel discussion including societal, historical and cultural perspectives of Taiwan.

"Cape No. 7" -- An unusual group of people in a village on the coast of Taiwan form a band to perform at a beach concert, while the lead singer searches for the intended recipient of seven lost love letters written in Japanese during World War II. The film explores Taiwan's generational differences, history, cultural diversity and small-town life. The film is in Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese with significant lines in Japanese.

"Go Grandriders" -- Would you still dare to dream when you're 80 years old? The challenges officially begin as a group of seniors decides to take a trip by motorcycle. Their family members object, but the group proceeds with their nearly 1,200-kilometer journey despite the threat of bad weather and poor road conditions. The film parallels the history of Taiwan after World War II and the Taiwanese people's work ethic.

"Love" -- Eight people try to end their loneliness by searching for that one person to love who can make their life complete. This film illustrates the culture gap between Taiwan and Mainland China.

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The Taiwan Academy originated from the cultural policy of Republic of China President Ma Ying-Jeou. Taiwan is the major Chinese cultural center where Confucianism, Buddhism, Zen, literature, architecture, arts and crafts, and traditional customs are promoted and preserved more completely as compared to the many regions influenced by Chinese culture.

A number of the Taiwan Academy Resource Centers have been established to disseminate information and organize seminars, workshops and other activities that promote philosophy, literature and arts. By doing so, the Taiwan Academy hopes to enhance cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the international community.

The mission of the UTSA East Asia Institute is to promote appreciation and understanding of East Asian societies and cultures both on campus and in the community through research, outreach, networking, education, student/faculty exchange, and business development and cooperation. The institute organizes seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, film festivals and visual art exhibitions as well as hosting performing arts groups from China, Japan, Korea and other Asian nations. It also encourages faculty research collaborations both within UTSA and with participating East Asian university researchers.