Born in Hebei but destined to pass away in Taipei, a city far from home, LI originally expected to take good care of his family and be loyal to his country, until the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War smashed all his plans. For survival, he kept shifting his identities, opportunistically fighting fo...(Read more)
Born in Hebei but destined to pass away in Taipei, a city far from home, LI originally expected to take good care of his family and be loyal to his country, until the outbreak of the Chinese Civil War smashed all his plans. For survival, he kept shifting his identities, opportunistically fighting for both nationalists and communists. Tired of his disgraceful past, he decided, near the end of his life, to follow his calling and masquerade himself as a gorgeous girl, enjoying the joie de vivre that he never had in the past.
As LI’s daughter, LI Nien-Hsiu aimed to fix her poor father-daughter relationship with this film after her parents’ long-term separation. In the 15-year journey of making the film, she gradually changed her attitude towards her father’s story. From taking it as a lunatic’s babbling to seeing it as an invaluable trace of history, she applies brilliant experimental techniques to explore her father’s rootless life as well as his ambiguous identities in both gender and nationaliy, showing a strong sense of nostalgia for the turbulent past.
DVD source:Taiwan Cinema Toolkit, Ministry of Culture, R.O.C.
Chinese title: | 河北台北 |
Year: | 2015 |
Director: | LI Nien-Hsiu |
Duration: | 92 min |
Length: | Feature |
Category: | Documentary |
Theme: | Gender、History、The City、Society |
Color: | Color |
Format: | DVD |
Sound: | Stereo |
Language: | Mandarin |
Subtitle: | Chinese, English |
Excluded for public screenings: | Licensed to all regions except: Taiwan, China(not including Hong Kong, Macau) |
Royalty period: | Jun. 1, 2017 - May 31, 2020 |
Licensing contact: | This license of non-profit screenings has expired on May 31, 2020. Regarding conditions for screening, please contact: hykainede@gmail.com |
Festival list: | 2016 Taipei Film Festival, Best Documentary 2016 NAWFF Award 2015 Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize, International Competition 2015 Women Make Waves Film Festival, Grand Prize, Taiwan Competition |