The News Lens caught up with ’10 Years Taiwan’ directors Lekal Sumi and Rina Tsou, who discussed what inspired them as directors and how Taiwan can avoid the film’s dismal vision of the future.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/26
By: Nick Aspinwall

Credit: Lekal Sumi

Taiwan leaps 10 years ahead into a bleak, oft-dystopian future in “10 Years Taiwan,” its entry into the future-gazing “10 Years” franchise. The omnibus film strays away from overt cross-Strait commentary, instead adopting a resolutely human gaze on issues such as nuclear waste, pollution, inequality and the sexual abuse of female foreign workers.

The first two of the five short films, “The Can of Anido” by Ami director Lekal Sumi Cilangasan (勒嘎舒米) and “942” by Rina B. Tsou (鄒隆娜), respectively explore the hazards of storing nuclear waste on Taiwan’s Orchid Island and the future consequences of the sadly rampant sexual abuse of foreign caretakers in Taiwan.

The film, which premiered in Taipei on Monday, recently concluded a crowdfunding campaign and has been holding screening events in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The News Lens caught up with Rina Tsou and Lekal Sumi at the premiere to find out what inspired their creative choices, the experience of being an “outsider” in a majority Han Chinese society, and the film’s very subtle commentary on cross-Strait relations. The interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
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