2020 Asian American
Documentaries Showcase
Filmmaker Talkback
Presented by
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver
駐丹佛台北經濟文化辦事處
Love Boat: Taiwan
San Francisco, CA, 2019 (63 min)
Valerie Soe
Saturday, February 22
4:00PM
Director
Valerie Soe
Valerie Soe
Synopsis
LOVE BOAT: TAIWAN, a feature-length documentary, uncovers the allure of one of the longest running summer programs in the world. Love Boat: Taiwan peers into the lives of the program's participants and looks at the history and popularity of this well-known program, which is sponsored by the Taiwanese government and which takes place every summer in Taiwan.
Although officially described as a straightforward cultural and language-immersion program, the Love Boat is also a means of promoting international goodwill between Taiwan and Taiwanese Americans as well as a site for romance, friendship, and personal relationships that transcend national borders, governmental policy, and cultural traditions. By exploring some of the Love Boat’s significant relationships, the film looks at the way that these friendships and romances mirror and influence Taiwan’s links to rest of the world. Love Boat: Taiwan explores the way that that the Love Boat’s personal encounters give its participants a taste of global politics on an intimate scale.
Filmed over more three years and funded by a Fulbright Fellowship, its director - Soe, a Love Boat alumna - retraces her initial engagement with her cultural heritage and her “return” to Asia as an American-born and raised citizen. The film features interviews with Love Boat alumni comedian/artist Kristina Wong, politician Judy Chu, and local Denver residents Evan Hung and Mehgan Yen!
Although officially described as a straightforward cultural and language-immersion program, the Love Boat is also a means of promoting international goodwill between Taiwan and Taiwanese Americans as well as a site for romance, friendship, and personal relationships that transcend national borders, governmental policy, and cultural traditions. By exploring some of the Love Boat’s significant relationships, the film looks at the way that these friendships and romances mirror and influence Taiwan’s links to rest of the world. Love Boat: Taiwan explores the way that that the Love Boat’s personal encounters give its participants a taste of global politics on an intimate scale.
Filmed over more three years and funded by a Fulbright Fellowship, its director - Soe, a Love Boat alumna - retraces her initial engagement with her cultural heritage and her “return” to Asia as an American-born and raised citizen. The film features interviews with Love Boat alumni comedian/artist Kristina Wong, politician Judy Chu, and local Denver residents Evan Hung and Mehgan Yen!
About
Soe is an award-winning filmmaker, artist, and writer. Since 1986, her experimental videos, installations, and documentary films have won dozens of awards, grants, and commissions. They have been exhibited worldwide at venues such as the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles the Museum of Modern Art, and the New Museum in New York City. She has published extensively in books and journals, including Countervisions: Asian American Film Criticism, Asian Cinema, and Amerasia Journal. Soe is the author of the blog Beyond Asiaphilia. Her latest film is LOVE BOAT: TAIWAN.
6:35PM
Appetizer Reception Hosted by TECO Denver
Join us in the theater lobby after the film and talkback to learn more about opportunities to engage with and travel to Taiwan!
Appetizer Reception Hosted by TECO Denver
Join us in the theater lobby after the film and talkback to learn more about opportunities to engage with and travel to Taiwan!
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