The Fifth Annual Taiwan Film Festival of Boston
臉譜 Faces of Life
微塵眾生如同星辰細沙，即便是最微小的角色，都能透過動人的生命故事深深打動觀者的心。【臉譜】可以是單一個體所呈現的喜怒哀樂；【臉譜】也可以是共同敘述所形成的集體生命樣貌。【臉】Faces，呈現二度空間「面」的空間符號，意旨看待事物的不同面向；Phases 與Faces發音相同，從【臉譜】也可以看見各個生命蛻變的歷程【Phases of Life】。【臉譜】也是一份邀請，邀請您和我們一起透過一部部優秀的台灣電影作品，以不同的面相【Faces】來探討並欣賞不同的生命階段【Phases of Life】。
The lives of many are like grains of sand in the great galaxy of humanity; yet even the smallest of roles have life stories that can profoundly move us. Our theme “Faces of Life” refers both to the subjective experiences of many individual lives, and to the many facets of life and humanity as a whole. As well, “Faces” indicates examining life dimensionally from different perspectives, while the homonym “Phases” indicates moving through life temporally as a transformative journey. We invite you to explore the different “faces” and “phases of life” through this year’s selection of outstanding Taiwanese films.
About the Theme
須菩提！若善男子、善女人，以三千大千世界碎為微塵，於意云何? 是微塵眾。
“Subhuti, what do you think? If a good man or good woman takes all the worlds of a trichiliocosm and crushes them into tiny particles, wouldn’t these particles be numerous?
- 金剛經 一 合 理 相 分 第 三 十
Chapter 30 The Nature of the World <<The Diamond of Perfect Wisdom Sutra>>
一張張獨一無二的【臉譜】代表著每個微塵眾生。他們用自己的喜怒哀樂在生命的舞台上表演著，並綻放出最美麗的生命花朵。金剛經以「微塵眾」來描述世間的各個生命，眾多如同星辰細沙。眾生們共同經歷著不同型式的「苦痛」與「喜悅」，包含生老病死、悲傷、失望、離別、快樂、希望、互助和愛。如同詩人William Blake <<純真的預言>> 所述，「一沙一世界，一花一天堂」。每一粒微塵，都以其最獨特的方式經歷這些生命的共通點，並因彼此的連結，而交織出千千萬萬個故事。
【臉譜】可以代表一個個體外在表情所呈現的喜怒哀樂；【臉譜】也可以是共同敘述所形成的集體生命樣貌【Faces of Life】。【臉】Faces，呈現二次元「面」的空間符號，意旨看待事物的不同面向；Phases 與Faces發音相同，從【臉譜】也可以看見各個生命蛻變的歷程【Phases of Life】。【Faces of Life】就如傳統戲曲中的【臉譜】，演員依據角色戴上不同妝容，透過顏色及表情畫風，呈現出截然不同的性格；不論是主角還是配角，每一個角色的位置都是平等的，都代表一個個獨特的眾生相，並透過不同生命故事深深打動觀者的心。
今年波士頓台灣影展邁入第五週年，我們想透過【臉譜】這個主題，以及台灣導演的視角，帶領觀眾看見台灣多元的風俗民情及生命樣貌。我們也想向所有台灣電影的導演、製作團隊、幕後工作者、及演員們致敬。謝謝你們熱情地在自己的崗位上，讓台灣能持續透過影像創作被世界看見。即使是最平凡的角色與議題，在你們動容的影像故事裡，變得有張力並撼動人心。【臉譜】也是一份邀請，邀請您和我們一起透過一部部優秀的台灣電影作品，以不同的面相 【Faces】 來探討並欣賞不同的生命階段【Phases of Life】。
“Subhuti, what do you think? If a good man or woman takes the three thousand galaxies of all the worlds and separates them into tiny particles of dust, would these numerous particles each have an existence?”
Chapter 30: The Nature of the World, The Diamond of Perfect Wisdom Sutra
In The Diamond Sutra, the oldest printed book in the world, the totality of human lives and all sentient beings is likened to dust particles too numerous to count. Yet every such particle bears a singular existence and a unique face. Our faces express joy and sorrow on the great stage of life, playing out episodes of birth and death, unions and partings, fear and hope, pain and love. As the poet William Blake wrote, “to see the world in a grain of sand / and heaven in a wild flower”, is to recognize that every human being is a unique focal point of the world’s universal experiences. And as each of us moves through life, our paths cross and connect to weave together countless stories.
Our theme this year, “Faces of Life”, refers both to the subjective experiences of many individual lives, and to the many facets of life and humanity as a whole. Furthermore, “Faces” indicates examining life dimensionally from different perspectives, while the homonym “Phases” indicates moving through life temporally as a transformative journey. Lastly, as part of traditional Taiwanese theater (as well as in many other traditional performance arts around the world), actors may wear different “faces”, or make-up and masks that depict distinct characters, personalities, or expressions. Whether protagonists or supporting roles, each character holds a unique position in the overall story, and speaks to the audience in its unique, significant way.
As the Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB) celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, we hope to present the richness of Taiwanese life and culture via this theme of unity through diversity. We also wish to pay tribute to all Taiwanese filmmakers, production teams, crew members, and actors: thank you for passionately showcasing Taiwan to the world through your moving creations. Our festival this year is also an invitation to our audiences – to explore the different “faces” and “phases of life” through this selection of outstanding Taiwanese films.