Taiwan's tensions with China come to the Oscars this year

Record ID: 1765892

  • Title: Taiwan's tensions with China come to the Oscars this year
  • Date: 12th February 2024
  • Summary: TAIPEI, TAIWAN (RECENT - FEBRUARY 6, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DIRECTOR OF OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY "ISLAND IN BETWEEN", S. LEO CHIANG, SEATED AND TALKING DOCUMENTARY PLAYING ON TELEVISION (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY "ISLAND IN BETWEEN", S. LEO CHIANG, SAYING: “I've been thinking about, you know, wanting to tell a Taiwanese story for the international audience for quite some time, and I know and I realise that for the most part, a lot of the attention and the interest internationally has been on the Taiwan Strait situation, right? Like, for a long time, people know Taiwan, really, through the context of China. You know the idea has always been sort of trying to tell a story about the Taiwan Strait situation, but then embedded with something personal and something deeper, more, more, more representative of that Taiwanese experience within that geopolitical package.” CHIANG TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY "ISLAND IN BETWEEN", S. LEO CHIANG, SAYING: “Life is very normal here (in Taipei), people are not exactly, you know, sitting around fretting and pulling their hair out. But in Kinmen it's a different story. You go there, you see these incredible artifacts from the conflict 70 years ago and the subsequent conflict by the iconic tank on the beach. All the bunkers, you know, military infrastructure, bullet holes in historical buildings. So, the idea was that I would use Kinmen as the visual representation, but ultimately tell a story about Taiwan through a Taiwanese perspective.” CHIANG TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY "ISLAND IN BETWEEN", S. LEO CHIANG, SAYING: “And then, you know, unfortunately, because of the escalating tension, you know, with the visit of (former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker) Nancy Pelosi a couple of years ago, there is also more attention in Taiwan, so I think people are more interested in Taiwan than ever, at least than in a long, long time. So, we're definitely taking advantage of that interest.” CHIANG LOOKING ON (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF OSCAR-NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY "ISLAND IN BETWEEN", S. LEO CHIANG, SAYING: “You know, I think in the last five, 10 years and because maybe it's because it's a generational change, maybe it's because it's in reaction to what's happening geopolitically, I think that more of us you know, are now much more vocal about being Taiwanese, being you know, yes, we still, at least for me, I still embrace my Chinese cultural and historical and ethnic connection, but in terms of national identity, I'm very vocal about being Taiwanese.”
  • Embargoed: 26th February 2024 01:00
  • Keywords: China Island in Between Oscars S. Leo Chiang Taiwan awards documentary
  • Location: TAIPEI, TAIWAN / UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
  • City: TAIPEI, TAIWAN / UNKNOWN FILMING LOCATIONS
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Arts/Culture/Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA001879908022024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A film about frontline Taiwanese islands repeatedly fought over with China during the height of the Cold War is vying for an Oscar this year, with the director hoping the attention will help better explain tensions over Taiwan to a broader audience.
    Taiwanese-American director S. Leo Chiang's 19-minute-long "Island in Between", available to watch on YouTube, tells the story of Kinmen, a small island group which hugs the Chinese coast. Kinmen has been controlled by Taiwan since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949 and was the site of pitched battles in the 1950s as Beijing launched waves of attacks.
    China says democratically-governed Taiwan is part of its territory, despite the objections of the government in Taipei.
    Old bunkers and buildings riddled with bullet holes stand testament to Kinmen's battle-scarred past, and the film opens with an abandoned tank half submerged under the sand on a beach, its gun pointing out to sea. Martial law only ended on the island in 1992, five years later than Taiwan.
    "Island in Between" is nominated for best documentary short film. The Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 10.
    As for his next project, Chiang said he was considering making a film about the late, staunchly anti-Communist Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, whose songs were broadcast at China from giant loud speakers on Kinmen and remain wildly popular throughout the Chinese-speaking world.
    (Production: Fabian Hamacher)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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