Small Talk (日常對話) Film Screening, Panel Discussion and Launch of the Taiwan Film Festival UK Student Journalism Prize organised by Taiwan Studies Programme, the University of Nottingham in collaboration with Centre for Contemporary East Asian Studies, the University of Nottingham and Taiwan Film Festival UK
Chair: Dr Chun-yi Lee (Director, Taiwan Studies Programme)
Panellists
Free event. All welcome!
Film synopsis
Anu is a tomboy. Married off at a young age—as was customary in Taiwan in the 1970s—and had two children, Anu soon divorced her violent husband and raised her daughters alone. Since then her only romantic relationships have been with women whom, like her, earn a living as professional mourners at funerals.
It’s considered taboo in Taiwanese culture to question a mother’s love, but that’s exactly the topic of her daughter, Hui-chen Huang’s intimate portrait. Mother and daughter setoff on a journey together into the past, during which Hui-chen confronts Anu with questions that have tormented Hui-chen for many years.
In a series of long shots the two women discuss loneliness, trust, and abuse, yet most of these discussions end in painful silence. Shifting focus in order to plumb the depths of their relationship, Hui-chen attempts to understand her mother by also talking to her mother’s siblings and ex-lovers. In doing so she paints a picture of the changing lives and conditions for three generations of women in Taiwan.
The film was the winner of the Teddy Award for Best Documentary at the Berlinale and a Special Jury Prize at Nashville. It was also nominated for the Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary and for Best Editing at the Golden Horse Film Festival.
If you are interested in attending please reserve your place at https://taiwanfilmprize.eventbrite.co.uk
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