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Voices of Orchid Island

Voices of Orchid Island MAIN

Voices of Orchid Island

Price: $320.00
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Filmmaker Name: Hu Tai-Li
Film Length: 73 min
Film Year: 1993
Duration: 46-75 min
Decade: 1990s
Color: color
Region: Asia
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ABOUT

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 

CREDITS & INFO

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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