2019
(Pusan) Busan International Film Festival
超廣角單元最佳紀錄片提名
超廣角單元最佳紀錄片提名
倘若你是熱愛活字印刷或裝幀工藝的手作迷、戀書癖，抑或某種程度的紙本上癮者，想必亦能產生強烈共鳴地沉浸在這部以白描手法敘述日本當代書籍設計家菊地信義（1943- ）心路歷程的紀錄片——《裝幀人生》。
In psychology, divergent thinking refers to the ability to approach a problem by generating multiple possible solutions, rather than narrowing in on a single answer or getting stuck in a fixed mode of inquiry. Its opposite, convergent thinking, relies on existing knowledge and traditional patterns to arrive at a conventional conclusion. I love watching documentaries—especially those that explore issues far removed from everyday life. A good documentary, like a good book, condenses an enormous amount of insight into the span of a film. Through a director’s lens and structure, you come to know a person, a group, or an event, and gain valuable nourishment in the process. It’s an incredibly efficient form of learning. Thanks to the nature of the internet, learning today is no longer linear. It’s multidirectional, multidimensional—a practice of divergent thinking. As a well-known writer once said:"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." In a time where eclectic knowledge and self-learning have become the norm, a thirst for understanding and a passion for living mean we’re no longer limited to holding just two ideas —we hold many.
"We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves." — John Berger. Looking is how people understand the world. Through the eyes of photographers and the hands of binding masters, we open the doors of images and books, inviting everyone to peek in, step inside, see the connections between things, and find ways to interact with the world.
Margaret Atwood carried The Handmaid’s Tale from Canada to the world. Yu Xiuhua, a woman with cerebral palsy from rural Hubei, moved the Chinese-speaking world with a single poem. In the 1930s, Ong Naô journeyed from Taiwan to Tokyo for his studies and left behind Before the Dawn. Giloo Documentary and ChiuKo Publishing present a curated selection of literary documentaries. Let the words of these writers take you elsewhere.
Isolated by the vast ocean, Taiwan has preserved the insularity and self-evident nature of its micro-evolutionary cultural identity. At the same time, its ever-shifting landscapes and unique geopolitical position have long subjected the island to waves of diverse cultural influences. As a result, the people of Taiwan have developed remarkable adaptability in sharing resources and integrating cultures, along with a high receptivity to external information. These vivid and agile characteristics are deeply embedded in Taiwan’s cultural DNA, shaping what we call its unique form of “elastic connectivity.” For the 2023 Taiwan Design Week, the Taiwan Design Research Institute collaborates with Giloo Documentary to present an online film program. Curated by Frank Huang, Cho-Hao Wu, and the curatorial team, the selection of films explores possibilities of departure and displacement within the tension between the virtual and the real. This program urges us to reflect on the essence of creation in an age defined by rapid consumption and AI-driven change, engaging with a contemporary world saturated in virtual fantasy through critical and poetic dialogue.