Two films with Taiwanese elements intrigued audiences at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) with their unique qualities, a festival consultant said, adding that they hope there would be more cinematic exchanges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Pierce (刺心切骨), a film set in Taiwan, and Abiding Nowhere (無所住), the latest movie by Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), were shown at this year’s KVIFF, held in the western Czech city of Karlovy Vary from June 28 to July 6.
Both films offered something unusual to the predominantly Czech audience, said KVIFF program department consultant Martin Horyna, who shortlisted Pierce for the top-ranking Crystal Globe Competition.
Photo: CNA
“Pierce is a film which is kind of dark in the end and also very violent,” said Horyna, who has been involved in putting together the KVIFF for 12 years.
He said films like Pierce usually do not elicit standing ovations from Czech audiences, but the crowed applauded for three minutes at its world premiere at the KVIFF on July 3, highlighting the film’s uniqueness.
The film’s four screenings at the festival played to packed houses.
Produced by Taiwanese, Singaporean and Polish production companies, Pierce tells the story of an former convict who tries to reconnect with his younger brother through the sport of fencing, while exploring themes of truth, doubt and familial ties.
The film features Taiwanese actors Tsao Yu-ning (曹佑寧), Liu Hsiu-fu (劉修甫) and Ding Ning (丁寧) in the lead roles.
Asked what led to Pierce being shortlisted at the festival, Horyna said he and his colleagues liked the film’s striking visuals, uncompromising story, wild plotting and “very strong direction” from Singaporean director Nelicia Low (劉慧伶).
He said he particularly appreciated how the composition and images were treated in the film, adding that they were “very clean, very symmetrical [and] very well prepared.”
Giving credit to Polish director of photography Michal Dymek, Horyna said that films like Pierce are not commonly seen in Czech cinema in terms of visuals.
The somewhat metaphorical story also contrasted with typical story elements in central and eastern European films, Horyna said, pointing to social dramas in the region that tend to be more realistic or closely connected to daily life.
“The whole story [of Pierce] is elevated, and the ending is very elevated,” Horyna said, praising its storytelling approach rarely seen in Czech cinema, especially a final scene that could lead viewers to question if it was even real.
Abiding Nowhere was in a non-competitive experimental film section of the festival called “Imagina,” which showcases films with an unconventional approach to narration and style.
The film’s three screenings were nearly sold out, even if it was for a “very specific audience,” Hornyna said.
Previously screened as part of a special program at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February, Abiding Nowhere is the 10th installation in Tsai’s “Walker” series.
In the film, Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng (李康生), dressed as a Buddhist monk, deliberately traverses different spaces in Washington.
Noting that some members of the audience left the theater before the screenings ended, Horyna said the purpose of “Imagina” was to show people there was “a different spectrum of cinema,” such as Tsai’s films.
No filmmaker in Central and Eastern Europe create films like Tsai’s work, Horyna said, adding that this form of contemplatively slow cinema “is really new for them [the audience].”
Given the impact of the two films, Horyna said he hopes for more cinematic exchanges between the two countries, which would cut against the current norm of Czech producers mostly coproducing with European filmmakers.
One possibility was through the participation of productions funded by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), an agency supervised by the Ministry of Culture, which selects projects from around the world that have Taiwanese elements, he said.
As Taiwan has been proactive in international coproduction of films through agencies like TAICCA, which also invested in Pierce, Horyna said he believes there is room for greater reciprocity from the Czech side.
Czech Centre Taipei director Marketa Zahumenska said a Taiwanese delegation, including representatives from TAICCA and the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (TFAI), was invited by the center to attend the KVIFF and other events over the past week.
One of the activities was for TFAI representatives to visit the Czech National Film Archive, as they were interested in film reconstruction and animation.
Meanwhile, TAICCA representatives introduced their international coproduction projects to potential applicants during workshops at the festival’s “Industry Days,” Zahumenska said.
“The Taiwanese delegation to KVIFF was like a starting point for future collaboration,” said Zahumenska, whose center was launched last month.
Zahumenska said she hopes that a stronger relationship between the Czech Republic and Taiwan would be built through cultural exchange events held by the center in the future.
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