Save the date! Pride Taiwan Film Festival will take place on June 29 at CineCity Studios in Chicago. Organized by Zatori Films and supported by the SPOTLIGHT TAIWAN PROJECT of Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture, the festival will feature four LGBTQ films from Taiwan — “After School“ (2023), “Marry My Dead Body” (2022), “When the Dawn Comes” (2021), and “Wrath Of Desire” (2021).
“After School” is Golden Bell Awards Best Actor Blue Lan's second directorial work. The film is an autobiographical tribute to Mickey Chen (1967–2018), who was a multi award-winning Taiwanese documentary director, writer, and a significant figure in the history of the LGBTQ movement in Taiwan. Chen was known for his works that focused on the life stories of LGBTQ individuals.
“Marry My Dead Body” is centered around a straight police officer who was coerced into marrying the ghost of deceased gay man, presenting an intriguing concept that offers social commentary on aspects of Asian society. The box-office hit has so far captured moviegoers in Taiwan, New York, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, South Korea, and Italy.
“When the Dawn Comes” is a documentary about Chi Chia-wei, a Taiwanese gay rights activist who has spent over 30 years campaigning for marriage equality. Chi was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. In 1986, Chi organized a press conference to help more people understand AIDS, at which he came out and became the first person in Taiwan to come out so publicly.
“Wrath Of Desire” is the first instalment of lesbian filmmaker Zero Chou’s planned six-film series about the LGBT+ communities of different Asian cities. Chou has won numerous awards for her films exploring Taiwan’s LGBT community, including the Teddy Award at Berlinale with her second feature film “Spider Lilies” (2007).
The festival will showcase the unique perspectives and storytelling prowess of Taiwanese filmmakers. Maria Brenda Aciopado, the curator, stated that this event represents a collaboration between Taiwan’s burgeoning LGBTQ film scene and her team’s mission to champion underrepresented voices in the industry.
Pride Taiwan Film Festival
Date: June 29, 2024
Venue: CineCity Studios
2429 W 14th St. Suite 407 Chicago, IL 60608
After School｜Director/Screenwriter: Blue Lan｜Drama｜2023｜124 minutes
Marry My Dead Body｜Director: Cheng Wei-hao｜Drama｜2022｜130 minutes
When the Dawn Comes｜Director: Zhang Hong-Jie｜Documentary｜2021｜60 minutes
Wrath Of Desire｜Director: Zero Chou｜Drama｜2021｜119 minutes
About the SPOTLIGHT TAIWAN PROJECT
The SPOTLIGHT TAIWAN PROJECT aims to promote Taiwanese cultural and artistic works internationally, supporting various forms of artistic expression such as film, literature, music, performing arts, and visual arts. It seeks to enhance awareness and appreciation of Taiwanese culture and creativity globally by facilitating the distribution, exhibition, and collaboration of Taiwanese artists and their works with international partners and audiences.