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Sundance Institute Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue Travels to New Taipei, Taichung and Taitung, Taiwan from May 1 - 6

PR-1418E | Date: 04/14/2014

Sundance Institute, The American Institute in Taiwan, and CNEX Foundation Collaborate
To Host Free Film Screenings and Guided Discussions 

Filmmakers Patrick Creadon (If You Build It) and Nisha Pahuja (The World Before Her)
Travel with the Program

The American Institute in Taiwan, in collaboration with the Sundance Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, is pleased to announced that Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue will host free screenings of eight films with moderated discussions, panels and artist roundtables in New Taipei, Taichung and Taitung, Taiwan.  The American Institute in Taiwan is a key host of the Taiwan program.  For a full schedule of events, venues and partners in Taiwan visit fftaiwan.cnex.org.tw. 

Film Forward, a partnership of Sundance Institute and four U.S. federal cultural agencies, is a touring program that offers film screenings, workshops and discussions designed to foster dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. It uses the power of cinema to promote broader cultural understanding, inspire curiosity and enhance awareness of shared stories and values across generations, religion, ethnicity and borders.

Common themes explored in the films traveling with the program include acceptance, overcoming adversity and the transformative power of art.  In each location, Film Forward seeks audiences that have limited access to independent film, students and the local filmmaking community.  The program in Taiwan will focus on the impact of modernization and tradition, the power of alternative education and community awareness, and the role and challenges facing girls and women in society.

“These films explore universal themes that we hope will inspire audiences to look at their community and our world in a new way,” said Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute.  “Film Forward uses the powerful medium of film and storytelling to bring people of different cultures, viewpoints, and backgrounds together in a shared dialogue.”

“Film Forward empowers filmmakers and audiences to talk about a range of ideas, perspectives and issues that affect all of us - whether we are in Mississippi or Taiwan,” said Rachel Goslins, Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.  “Just as President’s Committee honorary Chair Michelle Obama made it a priority to reach out and engage young people on her recent trip to China, Film Forward is excited to engage youth wherever the program goes, particularly in rural Taiwan.”

“The World Before Her examines the contradictory messages young girls are receiving in India about what the future holds for them,” said filmmaker Nisha Pahuja. “Audiences around the world – not just women – can relate the struggle of what defines beauty and how to adapt to a modern world while not losing site of longstanding traditions. I look forward to the shared discussion around this film and hope audiences find similarities that will help make their world more nuanced.”

The 2014 season of Film Forward will reach over 10,000 people through international (Mexico, Taiwan, China, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Indonesia) and domestic locations (California, Michigan, Mississippi and Pennsylvania).Sundance Institute staff members traveling with the program are: Film Forward Director Meredith Lavitt and Film Forward Manager Jacqueline Carlson.

FILM FORWARD Year Four Films

Film Forward, a partnership of Sundance Institute and four U.S. federal cultural agencies, is a touring program that offers film screenings, workshops and discussions designed to foster dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. (Photo: AIT Images)

Film Forward, a partnership of Sundance Institute and four U.S. federal cultural agencies, is a touring program that offers film screenings, workshops and discussions designed to foster dialogue and cross-cultural understanding. (Photo: AIT Images)

Federal Partners

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) bridges the interests of American federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation and excellence in the arts and humanities, and helps incorporate these disciplines into White House objectives. First Lady Michelle Obama is the Honorary Chairman of the PCAH.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov, follow us on Twitter @NEAarts or like us on Facebook.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), an independent federal agency, provides support for documentary films, digital media and other educational programs in the humanities through competitive grant programs. The NEH is the nation’s leading supporter of research, education, preservation and public programs in the humanities. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.  

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The mission of IMLS is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. The agency’s grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit http://www.imls.gov and follow @US_IMLS on Twitter and on Facebook.

Sundance Institute

Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

The American Institute in Taiwan

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is a non-profit, private corporation established shortly after the United States Government changed its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing on January 1, 1979.  AIT is charged with carrying out the "commercial, cultural and other relations between the people of the United States and the people on Taiwan."  The Department of State, through a contract with the Institute, provides a large part of AIT's funding and guidance in its operations. www.ait.org.tw

For more information, and view trailers of the selected films, please visit AIT's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AIT.Social.Media

CNEX Foundation

CNEX Foundation, established in 2006, is considered the first non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the development of independent documentaries on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong & Taiwan. CNEX aims to facilitate cultural exchange between Greater China and the rest of the world through supporting documentaries depicting contemporary stories of the people of Chinese ethnicity, their living and their society.  It sponsors 8 to 10 independent Chinese documentaries that follow its annual theme, each of which receives financial aid, content creation and production supports. CNEX itself serves as the producer, inviting renowned directors and scholars from home and abroad to advise the filmmakers. CNEX host annually a documentary film festival and a pitching forum CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum (CCDF) in Taipei.  This is the second year CNEX will partner with Film Forward in Taiwan. 

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Media Contacts:

Film stills and director headshots available upon request. Email press@sundance.org.