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Voices of Orchid Island

Hu Tai-Li

Voices of Orchid Island
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Voices of Orchid Island focuses on the Yami on Orchid Island, a small island located 45 miles off the southeast coast of Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean. The film explores the complex and often troubled relationship the Yami community has with the outside world by looking in detail at three different cases of "invasion" it has experienced. 

The film opens by directly addressing the suspicions the Yami have of outsiders. The visit of a Taiwanese tour group to the island is fraught with cultural miscues, sometimes humorous in their absurdity, but there are also sobering hints of exploitation. By the end of this scene, it is easy to understand why the Yami have forbidden tourists to photograph them. The second aspect the film deals with is the island's medical care. The film follows the one western-trained doctor on his rounds as he tries to introduce a basic level of modern medicine while confronting a firmly entrenched set of local beliefs and traditions. 

Finally, the film documents the local anti-nuclear movement, the target of which is the nuclear waste dump the ROC government has built on the island. We hear representatives of the national government defend the site's safety while local people express their fears and concerns at having the site so nearby. Woven throughout the film are views of Orchid Island's rugged, gorgeous scenery and its vibrant festivals.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS
Best Documentary Film, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 1993
Silver Plaque Award, Chicago International Film Festival, 1994
Bilan du Film Ethnographique, Paris, 1994
Gottingen International Ethnographic Film Festival, Germany, 1994 

Subjects:

Indigenous Studies:

Regions:

Keywords:

Credits

SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Best Documentary Film, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 1993

Silver Plaque Award - Documentary Film, Chicago International Film Festival, 1994

Bilan du Film Ethnographique, Paris, 1994

Gottingen International Ethnographic Film Festival, Germany, 1994

14th Hawaii International Film Festival, 1994

OKOMEDIA, Freiburg, Germany, 1994

Hong Kong International Film Festival, 1994

Margaret Mead Film Festival, New York, 1995


Voices of Orchid Island

 

Directed by 

Tai-li Hu


Produced by 

Tai-li Hu

Daw-ming Lee


Cinematography by 

Chien-Hsiang Lin


Film Editing by 

Tai-li Hu

Daw-ming Lee




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