Mayor and students attend special showing of “Ataabu 2 - Luozi”
Mayor and students atttend special showing of “Ataabu 2 - Luozi”
On September 15, the Culture Department of New Taipei City Government held a special showing for documentary “Ataabu 2 - Luozi.” Mayor Eric Chu and almost one hundred students and faculties were in attendance to watch this documentary on the modern history of Taiwan from the perspective of Wufeng’s Lin Family. The film’s producer, Gang Li, and director, Minghen Xu, also attended the showing; they gave the Mayor a ceremonial pouch, which symbolizes peace and traditions as shown in the documentary, as a token of appreciation for the city’s help in the making of this documentary.
Mayor Chu says that the younger generation can gain a better understanding of the modern history of Taiwan and their cultural identity through documentaries such as this one. The city has been very supportive of documentary filmmaking and has been promoting the public interest in documentaries, says the Mayor. The city aims to continue its support of documentary filmmaking. A new theater, Fuzhong 15, has been allocated specifically for showing of documentaries. The mayor hopes that “Ataabu 2” will be featured at Fuzhong for a long time to come, and he hopes that this film can be shown in schools as well.
During the showing, producer Gan Li mentions that he produced this film because he found himself wanting to know more about Taiwanese history. Taiwan’s history, he continues, is not solely the 228 Incident; Taiwan’s history is a story of exploration, and Mr. Li hopes that audience can learn more about this through the documentary. The difficulties in producing this movie include finding the right material, resources and content, and overcoming technical limitations that have deterred films of the past. Therefore, the production crew spent a great deal of time on research and the result is a product of teamwork. The producer says that he chose Wufeng’s Lin Family as the central focus of the story due to the fact that the family was embroiled in a power struggle at the time and had to make tough decisions between local and central government interests. Producer Li says that the Lin Family’s story mirrors the story of Taiwan’s recent history. Director Minghen Xu adds that many of the scenes in the documentary were shot in New Taipei City, and he hopes that this documentary can take the audience on trip of traveling 60 years into Taiwan’s past.
The Culture Department reports that “Ataabu 2 - Luozi” is partially funded by the city. The documentary uses a rare technique in documentary filmmaking, called “dramatic reenactment,” to revive the historical sites and illustrate the historical Taiwan. The department indicates that this film will premiere nation-wide on September 18, and department invites the public to support this domestically-made film.
For more information: Culture Department, Artistic Exhibition Section; Section Chief Chumei Chen; Phone: (02)29509750 ext. 105