Horseshoe crabs are one of the most ancient creatures on earth, whose life and death are subtly intertwined with Taiwan’s turbulent history. After 1949 when Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, the coasts of the Kinmen islands were heavily shelled. Barricades were erected, completely blocking the beach...(Read more)
Horseshoe crabs are one of the most ancient creatures on earth, whose life and death are subtly intertwined with Taiwan’s turbulent history. After 1949 when Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, the coasts of the Kinmen islands were heavily shelled. Barricades were erected, completely blocking the beach to the human population. The horseshoe crabs vigorously prospered. However, as the political tensions gradually thaw, Taiwan’s former enemy has become its strongest trading partner, and the growth of the local economy has badly ruined the ecosystem. Inevitably, the living fossils are now facing a decline.
An urgent call from a local fisherman motivated director HUNG Chun-Hsiu to record this decline. He alludes to a story of a bird filling up the sea, taken from a compilation of Chinese geographical myths, The Classic of Mountains and Seas, to ironize how local government insatiably filled up the sea to build a commercial harbor, exacerbating a modern dilemma over economic development and natural preservation. By the end, the film seems to be asking: what can we do to make a change before it is too late?
DVD source:Taiwan Cinema Toolkit, Ministry of Culture, R.O.C.
Chinese title: | 刪海經 |
Year: | 2014 |
Director: | HUNG Chun-Hsiu |
Duration: | 63 min |
Length: | Feature |
Category: | Documentary |
Theme: | Society、The Environment |
Color: | Color |
Format: | DVD |
Sound: | Stereo |
Language: | Mandarin |
Subtitle: | Chinese, English |
Camera: |
HUNG Chun-Hsiu, YE Da-Ming, LU Yu-Rui |
Editor: | HUNG Chun-Hsiu |
Music: | WEN Zi-Jie, LIN Hui-Ling |
Excluded for public screenings: | Licensed to all regions except: Taiwan, China, 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: Tosee Publisher philia@tosee.com.tw
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Festival list: | 2014 Taipei Film Festival, Outstanding Artistic Contribution in Editing 2014 Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival, New Generation Award 2014 San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival 2014 Green Image Global Environmental Film Festival, Green Image Award |