Taipei Cultural Center in New York

Taipei Cultural Center in New York is pleased to collaborate with the University of Scranton, Wesleyan University, Quinnipiac University, Randolph-Macon College, Goucher College, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation of New York Public Library to present “Life on the Move: Transnational Migration and Cross-Cultural Imagination in Taiwan Literature and Film.” This lecture and screening tour will take place from October 5 to November 2. Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh (謝欣岑), film director Yu-Ying (Sally) Wu (吳郁瑩), and novelist Yuchin Chen (陳又津) will be speaking at the events.

The Life on the Move program, which is comprised of lectures and documentary screenings at academic institutions and public libraries, aims to draw more attention to issues pertaining to transnational migration and cross-cultural interactions. The project was designed by Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh, Associate Professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature.

An increasing number of Taiwanese literary works and films address issues involving transnational migration, including the treatment of migrant workers from China and Southeast Asian countries. Four distinct films focusing on themes of transnational migration and cross-cultural discourse were selected for the Life on the Move program: “The Good Daughter” (阿紫), “Out/Marriage” (失婚記), “The Immortals’ Play” (神戲), and “The Price of Democracy” (狂飆一夢).

The Life on the Move program’s goal is to connect the United States and Taiwan on issues pertaining to transnational migration, race, and human rights through Taiwanese literary works and films. It also hopes to foster discussion on these issues through a tour comprised of literary scholar lectures, author talks, and film screenings.

Poster designed by Tzu Huan Lin

--Schedule & Venue Information

【University of Scranton, PA】
Oct. 5, 6:00 PM
Public Lecture at the University of Scranton, PA
“Bringing the World to Taiwan: Border-crossing and Transitional Cultural Flow in Contemporary Taiwan”
By Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh (謝欣芩)
Moderated by Drs. Ann A. Pang-White & Habib Zanzana

Oct. 6, 6:00 PM
Public Film Screening at the University of Scranton, PA
“The Good Daughter”《阿紫》
Followed by a discussion with award-winning director Yu-ying (Sally) Wu (吳郁瑩)
Moderated by Drs. Ann A. Pang-White & Habib Zanzana
https://news.scranton.edu/articles/2022/09/news-asianstudies-oct-transnationimmigration2022.shtml

“The Good Daughter” details the complicated marriage between Long, a Taiwanese man with disabilities, and Azhe, his Vietnamese bride. The documentary offers insight into Azhe’s struggle to balance her obligation to support her relatives in Vietnam with her duties as a mother and wife to her family in Taiwan. The film will screen at the University of Scranton on October 6, followed by a Q&A session with director Wu.
Director Wu began her career by collaborating as an editor with David Sutherland on his FRONTLINE series, Country Boys, which aired on PBS in 2006 (IDFA). Her debut feature documentary, The Good Daughter, was nominated for Best Documentary at the 56th Golden Horse Film Festival and won Best Documentary and Best Editing at the 2020 Taipei Film Festival.


【Stavros Niarchos Foundation of New York Public Library (SNFL)】
Oct. 8, 2:00 PM
Public Lecture
In-person in the 7th floor program room at SNFL and online via Zoom
Stavros Niarchos Foundation of New York Public Library (SNFL)
“When Literature Meets Media: Film Adaptation, TV Drama and Contemporary Taiwan Literature”
By Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh
https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2022/10/08/lecture-hsin-chin-evelyn-hsieh-xie-xin-qin

【Wesleyan University, CT】
Oct. 12, 4:30 PM
Public Lecture in Chinese at Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University, CT
“When Literature Meets Media: Film Adaptation, TV Drama and Contemporary Taiwan Literature” 當文學遇上戲劇：當代臺灣文學與影視改編（中文演講）
By Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh

Oct. 13, 7:00-9:30 PM
Public Film-Screening at Powell Family Cinema, Wesleyan University, CT
“The Price of Democracy”《狂飆一夢》
Followed by a Q&A with Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh and Mary Alice Haddad
Moderated by Dr. Ying-Jia Tan

【Quinnipiac University, CT】
Oct. 14, 5:30 PM
Public Film-Screening at Echlin Center 101, Quinnipiac University, CT
“Out/Marriage”《失婚記》and Woman’s Marriage Migration to Taiwan
Followed by a Q&A with Dr. Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh
Moderated by Dr. Larissa Pitts

Out/Marriage is the first Taiwanese documentary filmed from the perspective of the new immigrants, who are primarily women from other Southeast Asian countries married to Taiwanese men. The film will screen at Quinnipiac University on October 14, followed by a Q&A session with Dr. Hsieh.

【Randolph-Macon College, VA】
Oct. 26, 3:30 PM
Public Lecture at Haley Hall 107, Randolph-Macon College, VA
“Drifting to Taipei” Invited Lecture by Yuchin Chen (陳又津)
Moderated by Dr. Laura Jo-Han Wen

Oct. 27, 6:30 PM
Public Film Screening at SunTrust Theatre, Randolph-Macon College, VA
“The Immortals’ Play”《神戲》Taiwanese Documentary Screening
Followed by a Q&A with Yuchin Chen (陳又津)
Moderated by Dr. Laura Jo-Han Wen

The Immortals’ Play offers insight into the challenges facing a marriage migrant. The film is a raw portrait of Annie, who used to be a star in the National Circus of Vietnam. She struggled to live a good life after marrying the leader of a Taiwanese opera troupe and making herself the female lead in the troupe. The film will screen at Randolph-Macon College on October 27 and Goucher College on November 1, followed by a Q&A session with award-winning writer Yuchin Chen (陳又津).
Chen, a Taiwanese novelist, became the youngest person ever to be featured on the cover of the prestigious literary magazine INK Literary Monthly following the release of her novel, “Miss Kublai Khan,” at the age of 27. In addition, Chen will conduct lectures titled “Drifting to Taipei” at Randolph-Macon College on October 26 and Goucher College on November 2.

【Goucher College, MD】
Nov. 01, 6:30 PM
Public Film Screening at Kelley Lecture Hall, Goucher College, MD
“The Immortals’ Play”《神戲》Taiwanese Documentary Screening
Followed by a Q&A with Yuchin Chen (陳又津)
Moderated by Dr. Clay Chou

Nov. 02, 4:00 PM
Public Lecture at the Batza Room, Goucher College, MD
“Drifting to Taipei” by Yuchin Chen (陳又津)
Moderated by Dr. Clay Chou

The 60th New York Film Festival will take place from September 30 to October 16, 2022. “A Confucian Confusion(獨立時代),” by the late director Edward Yang(楊德昌), has been selected for the Revivals slate, a program dedicated to showcasing important works from renowned filmmakers that have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.

The film won three Golden Horse awards, including Best Original Screenplay, when it was released in 1994, and it received international attention from the Cannes and New York film festivals. After 28 years in storage, the print was restored and scanned in 4K by Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute thanks to a grant from Edward Yang’s widow, Kaili Peng.

A Confucian Confusion was the first movie in Yang’s “Taipei Trilogy,” as the film was followed by “Mahjong(麻將)” in 1996 and “A One and a Two(一一)” in 2000. The melodrama is set in 1990s Taipei, a decade when Taiwan's official foreign exchange reserves totaled $73 billion, a level exceeded only by Japan at the time . The streets of Taipei were thus filled with luxurious cars in addition to the usual motorcycles.

Yang’s script focuses on urbanism and the relationships between people. “With his rapier wit, Yang observed the self-absorption of a gaggle of 20-something urbanites” and searched “for the soul of a country he no longer quite recognizes,” according to the 2022 New York Film Festival’s description of the film. As an ostensibly puritanical society emerged in Taiwan, confusion between appearance and reality arose, as noted in Stephen Holden’s review for the New York Times in 1994, when the movie was featured at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall for the 1994 New York Film Festival.

Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival has been a cornerstone of New York film culture since 1963, introducing national audiences to the most essential new cinematic works from around the world. For more information, please visit: https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2022/films/a-confucian-confusion/

Photo courtesy of Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute

A Confucian Confusion screening information:
Times:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 9:15 PM
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14 5:45 PM
Venues:
Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th St)
Francesca Beale Theater (144 West 65th St)