by Steffi Liu
There are many issues which have been ignored or neglected by mainstream society because they are controversial. Through documentary and alternative films, the Eyes on Society film festival attempts to present hidden aspects of our society and remind us of the problems to which we are often blind. The film festival was founded by a group of students from the Department of Sociology, who keep the faith that the process of constructing culture and society is an endless interaction among people. All of us play a role in this whether we are conscious of it or not. Therefore each of us must have the power to shape and enrich our culture. The festival is usually held in the middle of each semester and lasts for two weeks, during which time about ten films are screened, in either the building which houses the Department of Sociology or the student activity center. Several clubs take part in the festival, each of them responsible for choosing a theme and the film to be played. These clubs include the Sociology Club, the Feminism Study Club, College Forum, Gay Chat, and Lambda. The films present issues ranging from medicine to gender, social class, homosexuality, ethnic groups, and environmental problems. Most of us may not know that when the construction of the Shihmen Reservoir was first decided, a group of Hakka aboriginal inhabitants were forced to leave the land on which they had settled for generations. This semester, Hometown under Water, a documentary film, faithfully records how these people were forced to leave their homes and then face the fact that the land they had cultivated had been polluted by cadmium. The film highlights the conflict between cultural preservation and economic development, as well as public ignorance of minority ethnic groups. A Japanese animated film, Metropolis, tells the story of a war between robots and human beings in a world of high technology, implying the kinds of problems humans might encounter in a world of unlimited science and technological advancement. Has technology become a new superstitious religion, or a new hegemony above all other values? Still another film, Two Bracelets, is a homosexual film depicting the love between two girls, who have to stick to the norm of society and marry men. One of the girls ends up killing herself. But the question left for us would be, what exactly killed the girl? After every film there is also a discussion in which all audience members can take the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions. Moreover, scholars, actors or directors may be invited to join. Everyone is encouraged to think freely, regardless of traditional values or mainstream opinions, and to develop their own answers to the questions they see in the films. Perhaps the films can even enable us to overthrow our old preconceptions and prejudices. The films presented during the Eyes on Society festival are not Hollywood films, and you won’t see them playing in ordinary movie theaters. They do not simply tell imaginary or fantastic stories, they tell the truth. Their concern for society and humanity is something that commercial movies can never attain. P.S. For more information, visit the festival’s BBS board: PTT So-Film
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May 2024
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