07/08/2024

This year Taiwan is represented in DokuFest with the film After the Snowmelt directed by Yi-Shan Lo. The film captures a devastating journey and explores loss and youth. Its screening in DokuFest on Wednesday evening, according to Shih-chung Liu from Taiwan Representative Office in Hungary is an opportunity to build cultural ties between Kosovo and Taiwan. DokuStories sat down with ambassador Shih-chung Liu for a short interview prior to the screening of film at DokuFest. 

DS: Mr. Liu, this year Taiwan is represented in DokuFest with the film After the Snowmelt directed by Yi-Shan Lo. What are your feelings regarding this cultural exchange between Kosovo and Taiwan? 

Shih-chung Liu: Taiwan and Kosovo, we share a lot of historical similarities. We both are working hard to consolidate our nations sovereignty and independence. We are both facing a big enemy in our neighbourhood, and we are trying to expand our international participation and gain more international recognitions. But I believe that the most effective way is through so called soft power. I firmly believe that Taiwan and Kosovo possess fruitful and reach soft power. Films and other cultural means happened to be one of them. This time we are honoured to have one of Taiwan’s documentaries selected by DokuFest. We are here in Prizren and I wanted to join the screening of this documentary. I’m so excited to see this film!

 

DS: Can you tell us what’s the film about? 

Shih-chung Liu: This is not the first time that Taiwan’s film participates in DokuFest. Back in 2018 there was another Taiwan film introducing Taiwan as a nation. Some Kosovo audiences have a little understanding of Taiwan. But this time this film After the Snowmelt, its about life and death, its about love, trauma, a sad story about a tragic accident that happened back in 2017 when a couple travelled to Nepal and suffered an accident in mountains. One of the females unfortunately passed away. The whole idea about this documentary is that people in Taiwan and Kosovo get a clear understanding about how we as human beings should face mother nature, and how do we conquer that. Sometimes it ends with happy ending, but sometime the result is rather regretful. But still humankind, human being must work hard to earn the respect from the mother nature. So, through this film I was told also that people from Kosovo get to see the beautiful landscape and mountains. Taiwan is a small island country, but it has high mountains and huge plains, and the weather is semi-tropical. We call it a paradise of East Asia. Hopefully when our friends from Kosovo watch this film in addition to get to know more about the idea embedded with this movie it will also encourage them to visit Taiwan, even for tourism. 

 

DS: And are you optimistic that through this kind of collaboration in future we can have better cultural and economical relations between Taiwan and Kosovo? 

Shih-chung Liu: Taiwan is a successful democracy. Taiwan’s economy, technology particularly when it comes to semi-conductor industry is worlds number 1. Taiwan is 100% free society; we respect human rights. With that kind of a background, I believe that Taiwan culture can attract attention from all over the world including Kosovo, despite that we have differences in religious beliefs and our system, but I do believe that when it comes to people-to-people engagement there is a lot of room to bring a lot more closer people from Taiwan and Kosovo. 

Photo: Suer Celina

After the Snowmelt Screenings:

DOKUKINO 
Time & Date
19:30 / Wed 7 Aug, 2024

LUMBARDHI INDOOR 
Time & Date
17:30 / Fri 9 Aug, 2024