Tentative Schedule! (Updated on June 11, 2011)

The 17th Annual North American Taiwan Studies Conference
Date: June 17-18 (Fri-Sat), 2011
Conference Venue: Frick Fine Art Building, University of Pittsburgh, USA

Download:
Tentative Film Schedule 06.11.2011 [pdf]

* We are very sorry that this film does not have English subtitles.

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Film #1: Formosa Plastics Group: Factories of Mass Destruction (台灣塑造 國土裂解廠, 2010)

Director: Chun-Chia Lo (駱俊嘉)
Length: 40 minutes

Introduction: In 1991, the Formosa Plastics Group entered Mailiao Township in Yunlin County to begin land reclamation and construction of the Sixth Naphtha Cracker Plant (6-NCP). The industrial project was presented as a glorious joint effort between capitalists and the government, but it fraudulently gained citizen support. Once it was put into operation, there was total environmental damage: destruction of coastal and river ecosystems, erosion of the coastline, pollution of water and air, reduction in fish stocks vital to the fishing industry, and even an increase in cancer mortality among local residents. Over the past 20 years, in order to keep this industry going, there has been a complete handover of the air and land to the capitalists. The industrial zone has led to the disappearance of Mailiao’s coastline, which was completely handed over to the private ownership of Formosa Plastics Group. Without a coast, there is no fishing industry.
In addition, in order to meet the high energy and water demands of this polluting industrial zone, an enormous amount of water has had to be damned up in lakes and reservoirs. As early as the period of Japanese administration, however, this area was evaluated as unsuitable for reservoir construction. In fact, the Zhuoshui River Basin is located within one of the most prolific seismic zones in Taiwan. There are multiple fault lines found within the 50 kilometers surrounding the dam site. Despite lacking an environmental impact report, the dam went ahead with construction as initially planned. The result is that citizen tax dollars have been used to subsidize these capitalists, representing a complete lack of social justice. We must think reflectively about what Taiwan or Yunlin has actually gained. As economic policy currently supports another round of projects, investing in Formosa Plastics Group’s steelmaking plans, what price will citizens again be asked to pay? This film painfully attempts to dissect how Formosa Plastics Group’s enterprises continually tear apart our national territory.

中文簡介: 一九九一年台塑六輕於雲林縣麥寮鄉，開始著手進行填海造陸與建廠計劃。整個離島工業區的設置過程，首先是，資本家和政府聯手營造一個工業城的美好願景，騙取人民支持。廠區運轉之後，公害糾紛如影隨行，所造成的環境衝擊是全面性的，包括整個沿海及河川的生態破壞、海岸線的侵蝕、空氣的汙染、水汙染、漁業減產的衝擊，甚至是當地居民的癌症死亡率偏高。至此，不到二十年，賴以維生的產業、空氣、土地全數拱手交付資本家手中，工業區讓麥寮的海岸消失，海岸變成台塑私有，漁民變成了沒有海岸、失去海的漁民。此外，為了應付這樣一個高耗能、高耗水又高汙染的工業，我們必須去掠奪大量的水資源來供應它，湖山水庫的興建就是個例子。早在日據時代就評估過，認定這個地方極不適合蓋水庫。其實，整個濁水溪流域的上游清水溪流域，是台灣造山運動最旺盛的地區，壩址周圍五十公里內的多處活動斷層，也未納入環境影響評估報告中，但水庫仍按照原訂計畫執行。這個結果就是，全民用納稅錢去補貼這些資本家，這是非常欠缺公平正義的。我們必須省思的是，從過去六輕的例子，到底台灣或是雲林得到了什麼？目前經濟部支持的八輕、台塑大煉鋼投資計劃，人民又將付出什麼樣的代價？本片沉痛地試圖剖析－－台灣塑造扶植的企業，如何不斷地裂解我們的國土。

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Film #2: The "Missing" Village & "Give Back My Lands” (太平路上的相思寮 & 還我土地 第八號, 2010)

Director: Boom-fong Col (許文烽)
Length: 20 minutes

Introduction: Since the fourth phase of land seizures began for the Central Taiwan Science Park in Chunghua County, The "Missing Community" of Erlin Township, located on Tai-ping Lu ("Peacefulness Road" in Mandarin), is no longer peaceful. The director provides a deep critique of the state violence of land seizure in the name of public interest. Disregarding the disapproval of Erlin’s citizens, the state destroyed the homes these people built with great effort. This documentary depicts the story of townspeople fighting against land-reclamation by recording their attitudes towards land seizure and their own protest. The "Give Back My Land No. 8" is a music video that was often heard at every protest from 2010 to 2011, which was the peak of the government’s land seizures.

中文簡介: 太平路上的相思寮因為中科四期的徵收，而變得不太平。許文烽導演藉由這一部紀錄片深刻批判，國家藉著公共利益之名，行土地徵收的暴力之實，人民的意見與聲音被忽略，於是人民辛苦建立的家園將遭到摧毀。本片記錄彰化相思寮的村民反對政府為建中科而要徵收他們的土地，呈現他們對於徵收的態度與抗爭的過程。其中還我土地第八號是音樂錄影帶，在2010-2011年土地徵收頻繁的一年，各個抗爭場合都可以聽到這首歌。

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Film #3: We Fight for Water (我們為水源而戰, 2009)

Director: Lung-Hua Chuang (莊榮華)
Length: 56 minutes

Introduction: The Yong-Yang Landfill is planned to be established in a former water preservation area. The Landfill “passed” an environmental impact report in 2001 only because of false information provided by the developers, and the impropriety of the local government. Although the water preservation area no longer exists, the Landfill is still closely located to Ushantou Reservoir. Local people and environmental organizations are greatly concerned about water safety once the Landfill starts to function. Starting in 2002 the people of Lingnan Village have fought against the mistakes of the environmental assessment. However, despite its unlawful foundation, the construction is still “legal” in form and the Government of Tainan County has yet to withdraw ex officio the construction license.. In order to please the Landfill owners and certain city councilors, the Government of Tainan County has risked the water safety of the whole country.  Eight years later, the people of Lingnan Village have been defeated but come back again. The fight continues.

中文簡介: 永揚事業癈棄物掩埋場場址，本來是水源保護區，但因民國九十年的不當解編，導致垃圾場環評通過。雖然這個垃圾場址已不是水源保護區，但距離烏山頭水庫集水區只有不到十公尺。村民們和環保團體擔心，這個垃圾場若開始運作，會嚴重影響到烏山頭水庫的用水安全。因此，保護這個水庫水源安全的工作，就落到緊鄰垃圾場的嶺南村村民身上。自民國九十一年起嶺南村民開始抗爭，到現在已經七年，在居民及環保團努力下，找出環評書內的各種錯誤。但是，即使環評書錯誤百出，民國九十年的環評結論還是具有效力，垃圾場還是合法興建。但面對這樣的業者，台南縣政府卻遲遲不拿祭出行政程序法117條將垃圾場撒銷。只擔心縣政府的財政和業者議員的壓力，卻賭上全台南縣的用水安全。八年過去，村民們一再的被主管機關欺騙，卻又一次次的站起來。一場打了八年的水源戰，還在持續著。

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Film #4: Ebb and Flow (退潮, 2011)

Director: Chin-yuan Ke (柯金源)
Length: 40 minutes
             
Introduction: When it comes to understanding Taiwanese environmental movements in the twenty-first century, the movement against the Kuokuang Petrochemical Project cannot be neglected. The Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Corporation proposed to build a new plant in a wetland along the coastal area of Dacheng Township in Changhua County. Director Ke Chin-yuan spent three years filming Ebb and Flow, recording the local people’s life stories, and the beauty of the wetland in Dacheng. Ebb and Flow shows the history of the wetland in Dacheng by depicting the residents’ life of labor and love of the land. The life of the wetland is embodied by the rhythms of the people’s lives presented in the film.

中文簡介：談起廿一世紀的臺灣環境運動史，不可不提反對國光石化運動。國光石化所要爭奪的土地就是彰化大城的沿海濕地，而本紀錄片將呈現這一塊濕地的歷史。柯金源導演耗時三年在彰化沿海濕地觀察與拍攝，紀錄當地人民在水陸交界處的生活，以及濕地的美麗。從本片中可以看到人民勞動的痕跡與他們對土地的情感。在潮來潮往的低喃中，體現著土地的脈動。

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Film #5: Farm-O-Matic (田: 消失中的耕地, 2010)

Director: Yun-Ju Chen (陳韻如)
Length: 66 minutes
             
Introduction: The suburban farm village in Beigang, Yunling had been a peaceful town until the leather factories intruded in about two years ago. These factories were known to be polluters, but the residents lacked the information kept in the factories’ records. Starting in May, 2009, residents smelled strong foul odors billowing from the factories and saw waste water discharging into the local drainage. Forced by the unbearable situation, the residents assembled a self-help group that is currently roaring and fighting for their homeland. This documentary not only records farm life in Yunlin, but also reveals the difficulties and issues facing grassroots civil movements.

中文簡介: 雲林北港的一個純樸農村二年前開始遷入數家在台灣各地造成許多汙染的皮革工廠，農村的居民在資訊相對弱勢的情況下，對於這種高汙染的產業一無所知。從2009年5 月開始，居民明顯的聞到皮革工廠陸續所排放出的惡臭氣味，眼睜睜看著工廠廢水正大光明排放入里內的水道，居民忍無可忍發出不滿與憤怒的怒吼，組成環保自救會來調查並處理此事。片子由三個段落組成，一是自救會的開會和討論。二是蒜頭採收和年輕農民的日常生活。三是果農的梨子園被污染的事件。從這些段落我們分別可以看到年輕一代農民的生活，不同於老農默默忍受的形象，他們對於公共事務的參與。

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Film #6: Life's Big Questions (如果我當家, 2011)

Director: Guan-Kai Liao (廖冠凱)
Length: 20 minutes
             
Introduction: If we were to try to write a history of land and social movements in Taiwan, the Miaoli Dapu Incident of 2010 would be a milestone. The Dapu Incident revealed the government’s violence in taking farmers’ land to build a science park without taking the farmers’ properties, memories or even their lives into consideration. The incident is a stain on the status of land justice in Taiwan. Life’s Big Questions shows Taiwan’s environmental movements since the Dapu Incident. It claims that land belongs to the people and cannot be taken away by the government without due process.

中文簡介：如果要書寫臺灣的土地與社會運動的關係，那麼2010年的大埔事件肯定是要提到的。大埔事件掀起了一連串人民對於土地徵收爭議的抗爭，藉由2010年717凱道遊行等行動，讓人們更加重視土地正義一事。廖冠凱導演的這一部影片將帶我們回首大埔事件以來土地與社會運動的關係。土地不是國家可以予取予求的，土地屬於每一個人民！