Taiwan, drama, 15min, 2014. Dir: Midi Z. Japan Premiere (almost simultaneously w/ Aichi Triennale)!
Synopsis and UPAF Memo
A boat is anchored in the harbor. The ghost of a woman who came from afar has been lingering nearby, searching for the way home. It looks as if she had escaped; but once again, she gets imprisoned in her memories. Chanting of the Buddhist scriptures is heard. The lover in her previous life becomes a monk in this life. He chants the scripture as he guides her and other suffering souls to the next world.
A surreal, kitsch, and mysterious film by Midi Z, a young Burmese Chinese who immigrated to Taiwan at age 16 to study film and has been highly celebrated in the world film festival circuit. He continues to depict the drug issues that surrounded his upbringing in Myanmar as well as the isolation and poverty of Burmese Chinese people who work overseas.
Director’s Statement
“The Palace on the Sea” was a luxurious floating restaurant known for its extravaganza. In 1991, it caused such sensation when it arrived in Taiwan from Hong Kong. However, its flourishing business soon came to an end as Asia was hit by the financial crisis. The situation got so bad that they couldn’t even afford to pay the docking fees therefore it was detained by Taiwan International Ports Corporation. Chained to the dock, the vessel has stuck there ever since.
When I saw it for the first time in 2013, it has become a completely derelict place. In the dark of the night, bound to the chain, it floats motionless on the sea. It reminds me of those aging foreign labourers wandering forlornly in Taiwan.
Director’s Biography
Born in Myanmar in 1982, Midi Z arrived in Taiwan at the age of sixteen. He studied design and art before obtaining a master degree from the National Taiwan University of Technology and Science. In 2006, his graduation film, Paloma Blanca, was invited to several festivals such as Busan and Gothenburg. In 2011, Return to Burma, his debut feature, was nominated for the Busan New Currents Competition and Rotterdam Tiger Competition. In 2014, Ice Poison won Best International Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival and represented Taiwan at Foreign Language Oscars.
Filmography
Feature
2016 The Road to Mandalay (in post-production)
2014 Ice Poison
2012 Poor Folk
2011 Return to Burma
Documentary
2016 City of Jade
2015 Jade Miners
Short Film
2014 The Palace on the Sea
2013 Silent Asylum
2009 Hua-xin Incident
2008 Motorcycle Driver
2006 Paloma Blanca