Between the Stars and Waves

What will our lives be like 10 years from now? Five up and coming Taiwanese directors each offer their own take in answering this question. In 2028, Taiwan is suffering from nuclear waste (“The Can of Anido”), migrant workers (“942”), industrial collapse (“Way Home”), low birth rates and diversity in families (“A Making-Of”), and insomnia (“The Sleep”).

Over the decades, the Malayan Communist Party fought a guerrilla war in the jungle for independence. When a baby was born during the war, they sent it out of the jungle to ensure its survival. Boluomi is one of those babies.

Taste of Wild Tomato begins with the history of Kaohsiung, which was an important military base for the Japanese army during the Japanese occupation, and tends to the deep scars of the survivors, their descendants, and their descendants’ descendants.

A story about ethnic Chinese Malaysians in the late 18th and early 19th centuries: as they traverse the lands in the South China Sea, they become like fireflies quivering upon the dark waters.

In the future, people can choose their own dreams and enter the customized system of The Sleep. Instead of facing this disturbing society, Irene would rather seek her private tranquilly in The Sleep. However, is everything going to keep blocking out and staying in peace.

When Ah Yao returns to Malaysia for his father’s funeral, he expects grief, not chaos. But everything turns upside down when the religious police storm in, claiming his father—who secretly converted to Islam—must be buried in an Islamic cemetery. Refusing to let go, Ah Yao and his siblings set out on a wild, darkly comedic journey to reclaim the body, confronting cultural clashes, family secrets, and absurd obstacles along the way.

This is a story about a girl searching for her true self. Lele dreams of becoming a ballet dancer, yet she struggles to master an elegant smile. “Come on, smile” echoes in the studio, effortless for others but not her. Day after day, she repeats the steps, seeking the meaning of dance. With her friend May by her side, they return to the stage. An unexpected moment shatters the routine. In the darkness, Lele finds her answer.

During a junior high classical music competition, talented violinist Chen-Rui surprises everyone when he relinquishes his position of concertmaster to another student.

One year after a zombie apocalypse, a mother and daughter are forced to choose between survival and family.

These days, Cheng-Cheng seems different. He doesn’t play baseball anymore and stays away from the field. It feels like he has something he can’t tell anyone. His mom tries to help but doesn’t know why. The fear and confusion come from one of the adults he trusts the most. One evening, Cheng-Cheng stands by the field, holding his bat, wondering—should he swing, or not?

During World War II, Taiwan was part of the Japanese Empire. This documentary explores the experiences of Taiwanese soldiers, doctors, and overseas residents in Southeast Asia during that time. Using cross-generational memory dialogues, family letters, diaries, and videos, the film addresses the complexities of Taiwan's historical memory and diverse identities during that period.

"What the axe forgets, the trees remember." The Tree Remembers presents the current situation in Malaysia where the racial policy is still practiced and the victims are forced to remain silent. This film re-examines the origin of racism in Malaysia and the taboo of racial riot in 1969.

Nia from the Philippines works as a family maid in Taiwan. She prefers to stay in her private room, where a door separates her from her employers, but this upsets her employers.This is a story about being away from home.

This winter, the boy has become very strange. He bursts out in anger, throws random tantrums, and refuses to play with his classmates. Everyone seems to know the reason, but no one is brave enough to approach him. After school, the boy retreats deep into the forest. There lies his happiest and saddest secret...

They sacrificed their lives fighting for the independence of their country, but their stories remain untold for 60 years. The story begins with a man’s portrait, which has been hanging for more than 30 years in an old wooden house where I was born and grew up in Perak, Malaysia. It’s long become a taboo that my families do not talk about this man, not even to bring up his name or his past. Eventually I found out he is my grandfather, who sacrificed his life fighting for Malaysia’s independence and decolonisation, but his and his comrades’ stories are excluded from history. This documentary set out to unveil the mysteries.