Even in commercial cinemas they only last two to three days. Even the films of Hou Hsiao-hsien are no exception. I did discover something very curious during my stay, however. Usually in Taiwan, names of westerners and film titles are forcibly written in Chinese characters. Ten years ago in Taiwan, there was very little freedom, which is not the case today.
Documentaries ultimately return to our everyday reality.
I think the aim of this festival is to screen works in a comfortable environment for the general public. Unfortunately I left midway through the film festival, but I heard that it was a great success right to the end. This shows an optimism in tackling anything and everything. With the government also expressing great interest in its success, I'd like to believe that the content of next year's festival will be even more fruitful. In February, when it was still cold and snowy in Yamagata, I received a New Years' card from Hsieh and Lee, who wrote that they were experiencing a relatively warm winter in Taiwan.