THE GREAT BUDDHA
Director: Hsin-Yao Huang
104 minutes. Taiwan. 2017. Subtitled. B&W/Colour. D-Cinema.
Winner: 2017 Taipei International Film Festival – Grand Prize, Best Narrative Feature/ Music/ Editing /Art Direction; 2017 Golden Horse Awards – Best New Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Film Score, Best Original Film Song; NETPAC Award, 2017 Toronto International Film festival.
Shot predominantly in black & white, multi award-winning Hsin-Yao Huang’s delightful first feature is a tale of the poorest people of Taiwan illicitly peering into the colourful life of the rich, via the Mercedes dash-cam of the boss of Global, a factory which makes giant Buddha sculptures. Pickle works as a night security guard at the factory while during the day he plays in a band at funerals eking out a meager income. His best friend Belly Button works as a trash collector. They meet at night in the security room for late night snacks, chats and to watch TV, until one day the TV set breaks. Dark-humoured, witty and eccentric, this is bleak social satire. (Notes Marie-Pierre Richard)
Animated Short: Flotsam
Director: Chung-Yi Wu
4 mins 33 secs. Taiwan. 2017. Colour. Digital file.
