For Steve Huison, his role as a British rail track worker in the film Navigator is not just a character he played, but long an issue of concern. The English actor, known internationally as one of the male strippers in The Full Monty, was in Kaohsiung, the city of workers, to join the first International Labor Film Festival yesterday.
Many people likely remember Huison's role as the weakly, unemployed man who tried to commit suicide before Robert Carlye saved him and talked him into joining his comical strip show. But in reality, he is not feeble at all. The son of communist parents, he is not only well-known in film and theater, but a social activist -- a dirty name in Huison's words.
This is perhaps how Huison came to work so closely with renowned filmmaker Ken Loach, who is well-known for his sharp and brilliantly told stories about social concern for the plight of workers. His films include Bread and Roses (1999), My Name is Joe (1998) and Land and Freedom (1995). Loach recently received a nomination for the upcoming 2002 Cannes International Film Festival for his latest work, Sweet 16.
PHOTO: YU SEN-LUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Huison is in Kaohsiung representing Loach's 2001 work, Navigator, as the festival's opening film, and to share the British labor experience with unions in Kaohsiung.
"The film tells a story of real people and real feelings, facing the privatization of state-owned businesses, which is also happening here in Taiwan," Huison said.
Navigator focuses on the privatization of British Rail in 1995. Problems arose when the tracks were divided among different businesses and workers were laid off or forced to adapt to new management. Maintenance costs were cut dangerously low and the ensuing chaos results in the tragic death of a rail track maintenance worker.
Loach's use of a hand-held camera fluently blends black humor with the workers' plight to show the absurdity of privatization.
Also joining the festival as a guest is US documentarian Vivian Price, who has focused on female construction workers around the world. Her film Hammering it Out: Women in the Construction Zone, is a portrait of female construction workers in US. Price said her labor consciousness arose from her own experiences working at construction sites. Price, who has a doctoral degree and is a licensed electrician, said she was fired from one job after another for being a "troublemaker" in the eyes of her employers. She then began filming the plight of female workers.
After arriving Kaohsiung, Price immediately went to local construction sites to film female workers. She said, "I saw the strength in them, some of them have been working for 20 years."
Apart from Hammering it Out and Navigator, there are eight other films showing at the three-day festival which runs from Friday though Sunday. They include Oscar-winner American Dream, a documentary about laborers' struggle with their employer, a famous meat-product packaging company that makes Spam. Also showing is the French documentary Whatever it Costs, about a catering company staffs' struggle with their bosses.
Entrance for all screenings is free. For schedule information visit http://labor.kcg.gov.tw, or call the Cannes Cinema in Kaohsiung at (07) 321-0663.
May 18 to May 24 Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot prevented much from growing. In addition, there was no running water or electricity. But it was all Yang could afford. He and his Indigenous Atayal wife Lin Feng-ying (林鳳英) had already been caring for 24 orphans in their home, and they were in
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parties like Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That his statements are wildly inaccurate was not the point. It was a rallying cry, not a history lesson. This was intentional to provoke the international diplomatic community into a response, which was promptly provided. Both the German and Israeli offices issued statements on Facebook
Even by the standards of Ukraine’s International Legion, which comprises volunteers from over 55 countries, Han has an unusual backstory. Born in Taichung, he grew up in Costa Rica — then one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — where a relative worked for the embassy. After attending an American international high school in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, Han — who prefers to use only his given name for OPSEC (operations security) reasons — moved to the US in his teens. He attended Penn State University before returning to Taiwan to work in the semiconductor industry in Kaohsiung, where he
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered an address marking the first anniversary of his presidency. In the speech, Lai affirmed Taiwan’s global role in technology, trade and security. He announced economic and national security initiatives, and emphasized democratic values and cross-party cooperation. The following is the full text of his speech: Yesterday, outside of Beida Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽), there was a major traffic accident that, sadly, claimed several lives and resulted in multiple injuries. The Executive Yuan immediately formed a task force, and last night I personally visited the victims in hospital. Central government agencies and the
RSS