Touring film festival commemorates end of martial law era

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/10/14
By: Christie Chen 

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) The Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival kicked off Saturday in Taipei to mark the 30th anniversary of the lifting of Martial Law in Taiwan and to encourage reflection on human rights issues.

During the seven-week festival, which was organized by the Preparatory Office of the National Human Rights Museum, two Taiwanese films and nine foreign films will be screened at 18 locations around the country.

“There was a time when Taiwan believed in collectivism and believed that economic prosperity would bring happiness,” Deputy Culture Minister Ting Hsiao-ching (丁曉菁) said at the opening of the festival. “The fact is, authoritarian rule allowed the state machinery to cause a lot of collective harm at certain periods of time.”

She said some people are still unwilling to face the past and may think that it had nothing to do with them.    [FULL  STORY]