AIT Co-Sponsors the 2016 Women Make Waves Film Festival October 13-23, 2016, Taipei October 20-23, 2016 Taichung

PR-1655E | Date: 10/13/2016

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) is delighted to collaborate with the Taiwan Women’s Film Association and sponsor an outreach program as part of the 2016 Women Make Waves Film Festival (WMWFF). The Festival will run from October 13-23 at Spot Huashan Cinema in Taipei and October 20-23 at Sunrise Cinema in Taichung. A portion of the selected films will be showcased on an island-wide tour following the festival for four months.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Taipei Cultural Affairs Bureau and organized by the non-profit Taiwan Women’s Film Association, this year’s Women Make Waves Film Festival will feature a lineup of more than 120 free screenings of 101 feature, documentary, short, experimental and animated films from around the world under 11 categories. The festival will also present two Summits, five International Panel Discussions, and Round-Table with Female Directors in Taiwan. This year seven films made or produced by U.S. filmmakers are invited to participate.

Deriving from the Dual Narrative Theory of the movies, the theme of this year’s WMWFF is “Dual Narratives”. By simultaneously screening in Taipei and Taichung, and by accenting the juxtaposition of form and substance, domination and non-mainstream, the Festival aims to inspire conversations just like the two main axis of plots will develop in parallel, intertwined, supporting, and dynamic ways along the dual narratives.

Serving as a platform where an array of perspectives on women’s issues can be exposed to wider audiences in Taiwan, the WMWFF launched the touring program in 2001. The American Institute in Taiwan is pleased to support the festival’s outreach to over 50 cities and townships around Taiwan. “Gender equality is at the very heart of human rights. By presenting movies that demonstrate the challenges and gender biases faced by women in contemporary society, we hope to raise public awareness of diversity in order to break stereotypes and encourage people to embrace self-identity,” Alys Spensley, Director of AIT’s American Center.

Women Make Waves Film Festival, Taiwan

Women Make Waves Film Festival (WMWFF) aims to celebrate the achievements of outstanding female talents, to explore different aspects of women's lives as well as to promote equality and rights of all genders. By covering a wide range of genres, issues, and representations of women, the Festival seeks to present and honor women’s survival wisdom and power as they are turned into films and gain mainstream recognition.

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

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For more information, including full schedule of events, and view trailers of the selected films, please visit the Women Make Waves Official Website: http://wmwff.pixnet.net/blog

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