20 minutes / Color
English; Mandarin / English subtitles
Closed Captioned
Release: 2024
Copyright: 2023
The rural Taiwanese outer islands of Kinmen sit merely 2 miles off the coast of China. Kinmen attracts tourists for its remains from the 1949 Chinese Civil War. It also marks the frontline for Taiwan in its escalating tension with China. Filmmaker S. Leo Chiang weaves lyrical vignettes of tourist visits and local life with his own narrative as someone negotiating ambivalent personal bonds to Taiwan, China, and the US, ISLAND IN BETWEEN explores the uneasy peace in these islands, and contemplates Taiwan's uncertain future.
“At once personal, poetic, and educational—a mix one wishes more of this year's short-form Oscar contenders managed so well.” —48 Hills
“Chiang uses the [Kinmen] islands as a metaphorical insight into his own sense of identity and belonging, split between his Taiwanese heritage and American citizenship which adds to the profundity of this filmic exploration. Chiang, with a mix of archival imagery, narration and heartfelt familial connections, offers us a brief but tantalising glimpse of the significance of this scenically stunning part of the world.” —Director's Notes
Select Accolades
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