How to Improve the World (2021, Vietnam, 47 min)
Director: Nguyễn Trinh Thi
Resisting the westernized reliance on images for creating narratives and experiencing the world, the film turns to music and sound as a way of perceiving through listening. While observing the loss of land and traditional ways of living, this aurally centered film reflects on the past, present and future of indigenous cultures of the people in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
The Catch (2021, Taiwan, 54 min)
Director: Hsu Che-Chia
Every November to the following February, a group of Indigenous Taiwanese migrant workers set up the camps along Lanyang River in Yilan County to catch the season's first batch of eel fries. For those four months, these campsites are their home. But no amount of warmth from within the campsite can shield them from the harsh ocean winds, the volatile squatter environment, harassment from local gangs, or a slew of unpredictability that arise from living on unfriendly grounds.
TIDF & Taiwan Docs: A Glimpse of Asian Documentaries I
