The 2020 Outfest® Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C) and Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles will host Taiwan Program featuring Taiwanese films “The Teacher” and “Sunshine in the Ruins” from August 24-26, 2020 with post-screening Q&As during the festival, which takes August 20-30, 2020 to highlight the LQBTQ culture and achievements of Taiwan. Taiwan passed the same-sex marriage bill in May 2019, and the law went into effect on May 24 that year, making Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize the same-sex marriage. One year after the law took effect, over 4,000 LGBTQ couples got married in Taiwan, demonstrating Taiwan's achievements in equal rights for sexual minorities.
“Outfest is honored to continue our relationship with the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan (R.O.C) and Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles,” said Damien S. Navarro, Executive Director of Outfest. “We are proud to be able to showcase the incredible LGBTQ films and filmmakers from Taiwan. During the festival, we have the opportunity to recognize Taiwan's support to Outfest, as well as Taiwan's values of liberty and equality that inspired the lives of LGBTQ groups and communities in Asia.”
The story of “The Teacher” started before Taiwan's legalization for same-sex marriage in 2019, centering on a young high school civics teacher, Kevin, who openly voices his stance on marriage equality at school. He is in love with an HIV positive man Gao Jin Wu, therefore breaking out a rumor about his “complicated” relationship and health issue in the conservative campus. The relationship between Kevin and Jin Wu brings tremendous impact to Jin Wu's wife (Winnie Shih-Ying Chang, who won the Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actress). “The Teacher” is a story that not only touches on the marriage equality debate happening in Taiwan, but also reveals the fragility of human nature in the face of the HIV threat. Director Chen Ming-lang will participate in the virtual post-screening Q&A.
“Sunshine in the Ruins” is about two boys taking a tour of a 100-year-old village, who break off to launch their own exploration into the grittier parts of the place. In the afternoon, Zih Sin and Sheng Ya are not interested in the explanation about the 100-year village, so they ignore their tour guide to wander around. It's surprising that everything is fantastic in the ruins for them. Therefore, they decided to leave the group and explore this village by themselves. The story is about the inability to accept homosexuality among the general public in spite of the fact that Taiwan is the first Asian country that legalizes same sex marriage. The short film centers around intergenerational communications that take place in military dependents' village of Taiwan, with a hope of capturing the discomfort in facing the topics on homosexuality and the relief through reflection. This short film will be included in the short film section “Shorts: Heart to Break.” Director Chou Yu-Cheng will share his creation process and his statement on LGBTQ cultural narrative in Taiwan during the virtual post-screening Q&A.
“These two films present the breathtaking affections and struggles through their intricate narratives,” said Emmy Yang, Director of Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles. “They represent the creative freedom and the dedication to equal rights for the LGBTQ community in Taiwan. We are extremely delighted to have worked with Outfest for three consecutive years. Through this well-known platform, splendid Taiwanese LGBTQ works will be unveiled to amaze the American audience.”
This year's Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival will run August 20-30,2020 and will be accessed via www.outfestla2020.com for one All-Access Pass to OutfestNow (app now available for Roku, AppleTV, Android, ioS), where centerpiece films, premieres, and hand-curated programs debuting daily. Select packages of Festival Favorites will also be available for direct purchase.
As a nonprofit organization, Outfest relies heavily on the Outfest® Los Angeles Film Festival to support its year-round activities. This year it will offer a $59.99 Festival pass that will provide viewing access to all the films and panels as well as a subscription to Outfest's new streaming platform for the next year.
