Bangkok: The Taiwan Documentary Film Festival in Thailand 2024 kicked off in Bangkok on Tuesday night, featuring an impressive lineup of 14 films showcasing documentaries and feature films at House Samyan, with screenings set to continue until November 24. The festival, organized by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture's cultural division in Thailand and Thailand's Documentary Club, will also extend its screenings to Chiang Mai and Songkhla, bringing a taste of Taiwan's cinematic offerings to audiences in the north and south of the country.According to Focus Taiwan, all films are presented with Thai and English subtitles, broadening their accessibility to a diverse audience. The festival opened with a 4k digital remastering of "Millennium Mambo" (2001), directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, which attracted significant attention with tickets selling out within hours of their release. Kuei Yeh-chin, head of the MOC's cultural division in Thailand, highlighted that this year's film selection reflects the latest trends in Taiwa n's movie industry and expressed enthusiasm for showcasing Taiwan's cinematic achievements globally.Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa, the festival's curator, explained that the event is categorized into three segments: documentaries, feature films, and science fiction. Wiwat emphasized the effort put into curating documentaries under the theme "boundaryless home," which explores the narratives of those who consider Taiwan their home or venture beyond its borders to establish their lives, including immigrants, laborers, artists, and travelers. An example provided by Wiwat is "A Performance in the Church" (2024), where filmmaker Hsu Chia-Wei intricately combines aspects of Spanish colonization in Taiwan with artistic and musical elements.The festival also features "From Island to Island" (2024) by Lau Kek-huat, depicting the experiences of Taiwanese people during Japanese colonial rule, and "Diamond Marine World" (2023), which chronicles the life of a Taiwanese businessman in Myanmar. Wiwat articulated that these docu mentaries encapsulate the essence of home and the modern global citizen's journey across the world.In addition to film screenings, directors Liao and Hsu are scheduled to engage in post-screening discussions with the audience, providing further insight into their works. A special session of the documentary "Absent Without Leave," directed by Liao, was held for foreign reporters at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand on Monday, resonating deeply with attendees who participated in a comprehensive dialogue with Liao post-screening.