Taipei, May 1 (CNA) A documentary directed by an American and a Canadian filmmaker about Taiwan's democracy and politics will premiere in Taipei this week, a producer of the film said Tuesday. The film "Godspeed Taiwan,"made by American Jeff Broadway and Canadian Kai Boydell, includes interviews with former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, United States congressional representatives, top politicians from Taiwan, Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai and Taiwanese film director Wu Nien-jen. "Our goal in producing this film is to strike a balance between politics, culture and history and offer a fresh, contemporary perspective that an international audience can understand," the filmmakers said in a statement. The hour-long documentary, produced by the Los Angeles-based Gatling Pictures, takes a look at Taiwan from the White Terror period to the present time, said the main producer Sam Lang. The White Terror period in Taiwan refers to the decades from 1949 to 1987, during which political dissent was suppressed under martial law. "We hope the documentary will make foreigners care more about Taiwan," its international status and its transition from martial law to democracy, Lang told CNA. Lang, a Taiwanese, had been a roommate of Broadway when studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 and 2009. He said the frequent conversations they had on Taiwanese politics eventually blossomed into an idea for a documentary film after Broadway returned to the United States. Although centering on the hard topic of politics, Lang said the filmmakers also tried to incorporate Taiwan's culture, customs and diverse voices into the film. Taiwanese rapper Dog G, for example, has done a rap on his view of younger generation Taiwanese for the film, Lang said. "Godspeed Taiwan" will be shown as a "work in progress" at the Spot Huashan cinema at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei at 3 p.m. on May 3rd and May 5th as part of the Urban Nomad Film Festival. The film will be presented as a "work in progress" because producers are currently seeking to raise funds for post-production and to include more quality footage in the film, Lang said. A panel discussion will follow the film screening on Sunday, with the film's producers attending. (By Christie Chen)
