Documentary Film Screening of Our Youth in Taiwan (我們的青春,在臺灣)

Fu Yue (傅榆)

As this event is part of our SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies Summer School, we kindly ask that you register to attend

Synopsis

Stories of bidding farewell to one’s youth and growing up are commonplace. The dream shared by the protagonists in the film is to build a better country by rebelling against the establishment. However, their fight becomes part of history in the turbulent relations between Taiwan and China.

A Taiwanese student movement star, who fights against China, a celebrity Chinese student, who loves Taiwan, and I, a Taiwanese documentary filmmaker passionate about politics. Clashes should come between us, but we find the possibility of collaborating with each other in the social movements. After the biggest social movement in Taiwan in the past 24 years had taken place, we came close to realising our goals but gradually we were let down again. Is it still possible for us to continue fighting for the ideals we had been pursuing?

Treatment

When facing the threats from a mighty neighbour like China, the Taiwanese are eager to make their voices heard on the international stage. Coincidentally, the young Chinese, who grow up in an authoritative country, desiring freedom and democracy, are facing huge pressure from the government’s control, and therefore they long to be freed. Since we’re in the similar situations, we begin to see the possibility of understanding each other.

Boyi comes from Huzhou, China. When she was in senior high school, a vague idea of freedom and democracy began to germinate in her mind, and prompted her to take an interest in politics. After she arrives in Taiwan, she comes to realise that the social movements that sweep across society are the embodiment of the so-called democracy, and the major force of the movements consists of young people of her age. As a result, it triggers her passion, making her long to take part in it. Furthermore, through her writing, she shows the democratic development in Taiwan to her fellow countrymen back home. Nonetheless, the Chinese government and her parents are trying to stop her.

Wei-ting was born in Miaoli, Taiwan. He lost both of his parents at a very young age, and without their presence in life, Wei-ting seems to be more impulsive than his peers. Wei-ting not only is an active member in the social movements but often takes action before the others. Facing the threats from the Chinese government, he wants to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty, and thus he staged a series of anti-Chinese government protests with his comrades. By accident, he once became a star of the student movement. Having enjoyed a godlike status, he finally gets the chance to realise a bigger ambition, but nevertheless, his past comes back to haunt him.

My name is Fu Yue, a Taiwanese documentary filmmaker. Watching Boyi and Wei-ting fighting in the front line, I only dare to hide behind them with the camera in my hands and pin my hopes for challenging the establishment and changing the world on them. Nonetheless, when they fall from height, I feel even more helpless than them and start to doubt our initiatives and dreams. In the end, is it possible for us to continue our collaboration?

Director's Statement

I am Taiwanese. As a citizen of a small nation, like many of my fellow Taiwanese, I hope that my country could be seen by more people around the world. However, the anxiety we have due to the threat from such a big country like China seems to turn the Taiwanese more hostile towards the Chinese than I can accept. For a long time, the subject matter I’ve been interested in is to see whether there is a possible common ground that makes two people, who are supposed to be against each other, try to understand or even collaborate with each other.

By shooting this film, I am very fortunate to get to know Boyi and Wei-ting better. Furthermore, through their exploration of their countries and democracy, I find that it is possible for the Taiwanese and Chinese to learn to understand each other but also how the harsh reality in politics makes it so difficult for them to work together. More importantly, I have come to realise that they are not just “Chinese”, “Taiwanese”, “Chinese student in Taiwan” or “leader of the student movement” as labelled; they are real “people”, who have free will and are so alive and yet so fragile. I hope that this film will make the audiences more willing to see things from this angle and to understand those who look different from us or even hostile towards us.

Speaker Biography

Born in Taipei, 1982.  Fu Yue graduated from Institute of Sound and Image Studies of Tainan National University of Arts in 2008, now worked in documentary film production. She mainly explore young people’s ideals and attitudes towards Taiwan’s political and economic landscape. Her films have received several awards at the youth film festival in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. "Dialogue between Blue and Green" won the Best Documentary at the 2013 First International Film Festival Xining. "A Perfect Crash " won the Best Short Documentary at the 2016 Hong Kong Chinese Documentary Festival. "Our Youth In Taiwan " won the Best Documentary at the 2018 Taipei Golden Hourse Awards and Taipei Film Awards.

Organiser: SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies

Contact email: ml156@soas.ac.uk