The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival kicked off Aug. 3 in Taipei City, offering complimentary screenings of nine movies from home and abroad on rights struggles and social movements.
 
Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the second edition of the annual event is themed Through the Looking-glass and centers on how information is presented under authoritarian rule and the challenges of restoring historical truths. The festival, running through Aug. 25, features films from Taiwan, Colombia, Germany, Palestine, Tunisia and South Korea.
 
The event opened with a screening of local production “The Private’s Mom” by directors Isaac Wang and Sam Yang. Shot over 42 months, the documentary chronicles Chen Pi-e’s decadeslong pursuit of justice for her son Huang Kuo-chang, who died while serving in the navy in 1995, and her founding of an organization to safeguard human rights in the military.
 
Huang’s death was initially reported as a suicide before allegations emerged that he was a victim of bullying. Following the screening, Admiral Huang Shu-kuang, commander of the navy, issued a public apology to Chen for the loss of her son.
 
Secretary-General to the President Chen Chu praised her tireless efforts on behalf of her son and other victims of rights abuses. Justice and reconciliation can only be achieved through the restoration of historical truths, she said, adding that the government is sparing no effort in shedding light on and righting wrongs from Taiwan’s authoritarian era.
 
Two other Taiwan movies are featured in the festival: documentary “Journey to the Promised Island” by director Asio Liu and animation “On Happiness Road” by Sung Hsin-yin. The former charts the story of eight friends who made the perilous crossing from China during the White Terror period, while the latter depicts the trials and tribulations of a young girl growing up in 1980s martial law-era Taiwan.
 
Among the foreign works are “Ghost Hunting” by Raed Andoni of Palestine and “Criminal Conspiracy” by Choi Seung-ho of South Korea. Winner of the award for best original documentary at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival, Andoni’s film explores the torture of Palestinian prisoners at an interrogation center in Jerusalem. Choi’s production examines government interference in media during the tenures of former South Korean Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.
 
According to the MOC, the festival will also feature talks with academics, curators and human rights activists on topics raised by the films. In addition, seven of the participating movies, including the three local productions, are available for nonprofit public screenings as part of government efforts to promote awareness of rights issues, the ministry said. (CPY-E)