Xiao Tang was one of three main characters in Lin Jing-jie's latest film, "The Most Distant Course," a work that the director made in tribute to his best friend, actor Chen Ming-tsai. Lin held the premiere of his film at the 9th annual Taipei Film Festival.
Held from June 22 to July 9, the festival screened a total of around 180 films at three venues around the city: Taipei Zhongshan Hall, in89 Digital Cinema and Metropolitan Hall. Filmmakers and actors from around the world were invited to Q&A sessions with the audience after designated screenings. "The festival aims to introduce a variety of films and increase the cultural exchanges among different countries," said TFF Coordinator Jane Yu June 22.
Yu noted that the festival committee chose two films to screen at the June 22 opening ceremony. The final selections were the Taiwanese production "The Most Distant Course" and the Danish comedy "Clash of Egos." "In choosing the two films, we had to pick one that highlighted the featured country, and one that exemplified the work done by local filmmakers," Yu explained.
"'City Vision' has long been a unique part of the Taipei Film Festival, and the theme city this year is Copenhagen, Denmark. Through its cinema, we see the beauty of this Nordic country," Taipei City Mayor Hau Lung-bin said in a foreword from the 2007 Taipei Film Festival program.
This year's "City Vision" segment showcased a series of classic Danish films. "Some of the old movies are hard to find," Yu said. "We are lucky to have them shown here after the oldest Danish film company, Nordisk, completed a reorganization of their film library in celebration of its 100th anniversary."
Rene Ezra, producer of "Clash of Egos," said that when the film was screened in Pusan City, South Korea, the audience caught the jokes without any problem of cultural differences or language barrier. "There is typical Danish humor in this film," he said. "We live differently but share the same elements in life," he added, referring to the relationships of family and friends.
Director Tomas Villum Jensen uses "Clash" to focus on the debate over the fine line between art-house films and commercial movies. A father named Tonny gains permission to visit his children after being released from prison, so he decides to celebrate with his son and daughter by taking them to see a movie. The tickets for the new Harry Potter film are sold out, so instead they see "The Murderer," a film by the critically acclaimed director Claus Volter. The film's rampant violence drives the three out of the theater, however.
Tonny is so furious that he tracks down the director to demand his money back. When confronted by Tonny, Volter insists that art is not about giving the audience what it wants. After reading a review in The New York Times criticizing one of his movies, he remarked, "I don't consider it a serious paper; after all, it's American."
He forces his way into the production of Volter's next film as a co-director, changing the script and action to suit his tastes. Unexpectedly, the amateur director makes the movie into a big hit, winning him praise from his peers and the respect of his children.
Actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas, who plays Volter, spoke to the audience in Taipei Zhongshan Hall after the screening. "You can't laugh at others without laughing at yourself," he said. Ezra revealed that an incident in the film, when Volter goes crazy over a missing Nazi flag, actually happened to Jensen. The director drew on that experience and integrated what had happened in real life with the story.
Realism plays an important role in one of the most famous filmmaking trends. In Europe, the Dogma 95 movement promotes a naturalistic and original style of filmmaking, as exemplified by its founder, Danish director Lars von Trier. Yu explained that there were strict rules for a Dogma 95 production. Directors were not allowed to make additional props and had to shoot the film in real locations, she said.
In most cases, the rules lowered the production costs but challenged a director's storytelling skills. "Without special effects and decorations, the story and the actors take more responsibility for the film," Yu said. Festival-goers could catch examples of this style of filmmaking in the "City of Dogma" segment, where films like von Trier's "The Idiots" and Thomas Vinterberg's "The Celebration" were shown.
Movies are frequently used as a means to express the directors' observations on life, and Lin admitted that "The Most Distant Course" was affected by his relationship with Chen, who had suffered from depression and committed suicide before the film began production.
In the film, all three characters have their hearts broken and then go on a journey to reexamine their lives. Travel is not a solution to all problems, however. Lin said that people could not expect to solve their problems in one trip because life was not that easy. His film was not meant to discourage people but to create discussion about the pursuit of meaning in life and an exploration of the inner self.
"Love could be right next door or far away, as the actors showed in the film. Based on this point, I wanted to elaborate upon the interpersonal relationships, even the relationship between a person and himself," he explained. Lin said the film shortened the distance between him and his friend Chen: "I identified with his frustration when I made this film, and I felt close to him again."
The festival was proof that Taipei was embracing a more diverse range of cultural endeavors, Lee Yong-ping, commissioner of the Taipei City Government's Department of Cultural Affairs, said in a foreword from the Taipei Film Festival program.
In addition to screening local films, the festival held panel discussions on film commissions. During the "How to Shoot in Paris" panel, Yann Marchet, a marketing manager for the Ile de France Film Commission, explained how productions could be done in the city and what the commission did to assist filmmakers. He presented in detail how the agency was particularly helpful in arranging for locations.
In another panel, "Movies as the Best Marketing Tools for Your Cities," Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien remarked on the extreme differences in filming regulations in Taiwan and Japan. Shooting in Taiwan was difficult because there were no set rules, Hou said. Japan was the opposite, he added, because the country had so many rules that it was impossible to follow them all.
The meetings helped spur people to think about creating a film commission in Taipei. "In the future when filmmakers need to temporarily block off streets or use spaces administered by the city government, they will be able to obtain government approval," Lee said, describing her vision.
The film commission was only at the idea stage, however. "In the meantime, the Taipei City Government can also produce handbooks to inform filmmakers of locations in Taipei suitable for shooting and the various possibilities for interpreting the city through the camera lens," Lee said.
Write to Sandra Shih at sandrashih@mail.gio.gov.tw