Taiwan European Film Festival in FJCU
By Colette Hsu
The 2020 Taiwan European Film Festival at FJCU ran from December 1 to 30, with 17 films from different countries available for students as well as audiences off-campus to watch for free.
Since 2005, the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan has organized the Taiwan European Film Festival (TEFF), for Taiwanese audiences to become familiar with the cultures and arts from Europe. TEFF introduces works from member states of the EU to Taiwan every year. Due to COVID-19, some countries turned to online screening and some chose to cancel their parts in the events. Taiwan became the only place around the world where the event still took place as usual. From November 2020 to January 2021, 17 films from different countries will be screened in 14 cities and counties in Taiwan for free, with both Mandarin and English subtitles. |
The publicity of TEFF and the voucher for the free snack, photograph by Colette Hsu, 2 Dec., 2020
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Co-organized by the EU Centre at FJCU, Office of International Education, Fu Jen Catholic University is also one of the venues for the events, from December 1 to 30. According to Dr. Albert Wei-Min Tang, the Dean of Office of International Education, FJCU has always been a top choice for TEFF to cooperate with because it is one of the first schools to possess the professional organization to deal with European affairs.
The opening ceremony of TEFF in FJCU was on December 2, despite the first screening event being held the day before. The screening was in the Global Lounge, Giet Building. The opening ceremony cooperated with Please, Please Me, the store in Global Lounge, for free light meals for the first one hundred audience members who attended the event.
The film of the opening ceremony was Tel Aviv on Fire (2018), the representative film from Luxembourg this year. However, the film takes place in Palestine and focuses on the clash between Israel and Palestine. This comedy is about a young, inexperienced Palestinian man who accidentally becomes the writer of a popular soap opera about the romance of a female double agent. However, he has to consider the different suggestions and directions from Palestinian sponsors, and encounters an Israeli soldier who takes away his ID card because his wife is also a fan of the show.
According to Tang, this Luxembourg film was co-funded by Luxembourg and Israel production companies. “I think it is the first time for TEFF to choose a film from Luxembourg,” he said. They chose this film to open the festival at FJU because “Taiwanese audiences are not familiar with Luxembourg and its films. By watching this film, they can realize the soft power of the country, and understand the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
The opening ceremony of TEFF in FJCU was on December 2, despite the first screening event being held the day before. The screening was in the Global Lounge, Giet Building. The opening ceremony cooperated with Please, Please Me, the store in Global Lounge, for free light meals for the first one hundred audience members who attended the event.
The film of the opening ceremony was Tel Aviv on Fire (2018), the representative film from Luxembourg this year. However, the film takes place in Palestine and focuses on the clash between Israel and Palestine. This comedy is about a young, inexperienced Palestinian man who accidentally becomes the writer of a popular soap opera about the romance of a female double agent. However, he has to consider the different suggestions and directions from Palestinian sponsors, and encounters an Israeli soldier who takes away his ID card because his wife is also a fan of the show.
According to Tang, this Luxembourg film was co-funded by Luxembourg and Israel production companies. “I think it is the first time for TEFF to choose a film from Luxembourg,” he said. They chose this film to open the festival at FJU because “Taiwanese audiences are not familiar with Luxembourg and its films. By watching this film, they can realize the soft power of the country, and understand the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
People going to Global Lounge for the opening ceremony of TEFF in FJCU, photograph by Colette Hsu, 2 Dec., 2020
Tel Aviv is the second-largest city in Israel, but no scenes were actually shot there. Instead, the whole film was finished in Luxembourg. Instead of translating directly, the film title is translated as The Inexperienced, New-Coming Playwright. Tang said, “It may be a commercial concern to appeal to audiences, but it also may have political reference in the naming.”
The film uses absurdity and humor to express the unsolved problems between Israel and Palestine, making audiences laugh out loud but also leaving viewers with different ideas about the historical context after screening. One participant said, “I think the film is quite humorous but profound enough to think critically. Although the audiences like me may not be familiar with the local history there, I still can quickly understand what the film tries to express.” Another said, “I don’t know the history and politics very well, but I think the film is a national allegory of a small country. Whether to compromise the power of other regimes or find another way out is always a problem worth thinking about.” One viewer said this film gave her a cultural shock because “it’s the first time I notice the order of Arabic words are opposite to other languages I know.”
“TEFF is a bridge for the cultural and diplomatic communication between Taiwan and Europe,” Tang said, “And it is also a good chance for Taiwanese audiences to rethink their own identities after watching the different films from Europe.” The rest of the screening sessions on campus will continue until the end of December,and more information can be found on the official website of TEFF.
The film uses absurdity and humor to express the unsolved problems between Israel and Palestine, making audiences laugh out loud but also leaving viewers with different ideas about the historical context after screening. One participant said, “I think the film is quite humorous but profound enough to think critically. Although the audiences like me may not be familiar with the local history there, I still can quickly understand what the film tries to express.” Another said, “I don’t know the history and politics very well, but I think the film is a national allegory of a small country. Whether to compromise the power of other regimes or find another way out is always a problem worth thinking about.” One viewer said this film gave her a cultural shock because “it’s the first time I notice the order of Arabic words are opposite to other languages I know.”
“TEFF is a bridge for the cultural and diplomatic communication between Taiwan and Europe,” Tang said, “And it is also a good chance for Taiwanese audiences to rethink their own identities after watching the different films from Europe.” The rest of the screening sessions on campus will continue until the end of December,and more information can be found on the official website of TEFF.