The 7th Taiwan Film Festival of Boston Showcases the Soft Power of Formosa

The 7th Annual Taiwan Film Festival of Boston (TFFB) wrapped up its in-person screenings on September 25 at the historic Brattle Theatre, highlighting the power of cinema as a bridge for cultural exchange.

The festival opened last Friday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), where more than 600 attendees gathered to watch the opening film Daughter’s Daughter alongside Ang Lee’s classic Eat Drink Man Woman, part of his famed family trilogy.

On Sunday, the festival spotlighted “New Taipei City Day,” presenting award-winning short documentaries in collaboration with a delegation from New Taipei City’s Department of Information. These included the environmental documentary Solar Power Revelation, and the cultural documentary When the Rumble Sounds Again. 

To facilitate community outreach, TFFB partnered with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Boston to sponsor students and families of Boston Public Schools to join one of the two screenings. The first was “Family in Focus: A Collection of Short Films,” co-presented with the Boston Short Film Festival, including My Sister, Cry Me Through Hell, and Moment of Choice. The second was Doubles Match, a family-friendly feature film. Malden Mayor Gary Christenson was also invited by the co-presidents of the film festival to attend the latter, and remarked:

“If this doesn’t win an Academy Award, then nothing will! From the story to the music to the beauty of the countryside, this movie had it all.”

The festival also received greetings and recognition from Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, along with official citations from State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.

At the Welcome Reception at the CitizenM Hotel on Sunday, Massachusetts Representative Tram Nguyen, Boston City Councilor Edward Flynn, and Medford City Councilor Justin Tseng—one of the first Taiwanese American elected officials in the Commonwealth—joined festival guests and emphasized the importance of cultural exchange between Taiwan and the U.S.

The festival concluded with a sold-out screening of feature film Salli at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, and Yen and Ai-Lee at the Brattle Theatre at Harvard Square. 

Beyond screenings, TFFB hosted post-film forums that sparked dialogue between audiences and filmmakers. This year, three directors traveled from Taiwan and one from California to meet Boston audiences: Yung-Han Chang (Moment of Choice), Shu-Mei Huang (Solar Power Revelations), I-Ching Lin (When the Rumble Sounds Again), and Chien-Hung Lien (Salli).

The festival’s impact extended beyond theaters: current TFFB Co-Presidents Jay Tsai and Jerry Lin, as well as founding president Fan-Yun Lan, were interviewed by WBUR, which featured the event in two articles highlighting TFFB along with other Boston-area film festivals.

As the in-person program concludes, audiences can continue their festival journey online through the Virtual Festival, which offers access to ten additional Taiwanese films until October 12th via the streaming platform Giloo.

About the Taiwan Film Festival of Boston

Founded in 2019, the Taiwan Film Festival of Boston is a fully volunteer-run nonprofit organization. The 2024-2025 co-presidents are Tzuying Chuang, Jay Tsai, and Jerry Lin. TFFB is dedicated to showcasing the richness of Taiwanese culture and cinema. Through films, forums, and cross-cultural exchange, TFFB seeks to foster dialogue, build community, and elevate Taiwan’s global voice through the art of storytelling.