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Formosan ignorance
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2010, Page 8
It is a pity the movie Formosa Betrayed is ending its tour of Taiwan soon.
Even more of a pity is how the general public seem unaware that the movie is
being shown in Taiwan. While the film did have a small budget of US$8 million,
raised mostly through donations, I am amazed by the lack of talk about the film
in the Taiwanese media.
I imagined the media would scramble over this work. This film could help people
discover what Taiwan is or what the identity of Taiwan is like, but most of the
media was silent. Few people knew about it, and even fewer were actively
spreading knowledge of the movie by word of mouth.
Of course, it can easily be seen why the movie was not widely reported: Most
media outlets are pro-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) or have a
non-Taiwan-centric view. The few that did report on it do not have a wide
circulation. If one knows about the general politics of Taiwan, this is obvious.
This film is a major step toward open dialogue about the past 70 years of
Taiwan¡¦s history. The White Terror, the repression felt by the Taiwanese under
the KMT, the events of Feb. 28, 1947, and the killings of Taiwanese professors
overseas were, until recently, taboo subjects. Other than numerous books, a few
documentaries and anecdotes traded by family members, I have not seen much
discussion of the era. Even official documents concerning this period for the
most part are still censored and unavailable to the general public.
The attitude displayed by the government, or at least most media outlets, is a
¡§hush-hush¡¨ attitude that was typical of the White Terror/KMT period of rule. It
is very obvious if one knows about the development of the movie.
If forcing Will Tiao (¤N·¶¯à) and the crew of Formosa Betrayed to film their movie
in Thailand was not enough, then what about the obvious lack of support from the
government for the production of the Hollywood-style movie, which had to be
funded through donations.
I urge the people of Taiwan to watch Formosa Betrayed. This is not politically
motivated, but historical, as it is perhaps a first step toward opening up about
our dark past. The best time for discussion is when the people that lived
through that period are still alive, much like the veterans of World War II.
Once lost, Taiwan will suffer a blow to its historical identity.
JEFFREY TSAI
Taipei
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