In this episode of Talkin’ TIDF, hosts Cameron and Stefanie are joined by TIDF programmer CHUNG Peihua, who oversees the festival’s non-competition sections. With years of experience at TIDF, she offers an insider’s perspective on two standout programmes: the Focus section “Sensible but Unsayable—A Retrospective of the Sensory Ethnography Lab” and the Taiwan Spectrum programme “War Memories, Shifting Identities,” discussing the curatorial thinking behind them and how they came together.

🎙️In this episode:

➤ What is the Sensory Ethnography Lab—and why was it selected as this year’s Focus programme?
➤ What sets SEL’s approach to ethnographic filmmaking apart?
➤ How were the films in this section chosen, and how do they connect to other parts of the TIDF programme?
➤ How did From Island to Island inspire the Taiwan Spectrum programme—and what new perspectives does it bring to Taiwan’s wartime and postwar history?

🔗 Links & Show Notes

• Focus Programme: Sensible but Unsayable—A Retrospective of the Sensory Ethnography Lab: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/category/shows2026/
• Taiwan Spectrum: War Memories, Shifting Identities: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/category/shows2026/
• Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab: https://sel.fas.harvard.edu/
• From Island to Island – 2026 TIDF Screening: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157630
• From Island to Island – Review: https://asianmoviepulse.com/2025/02/documentary-review-from-island-to-island-2024-by-lau-kek-huat/

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Welcome back to Talkin’ TIDF, the English-language podcast of the Taiwan International Documentary Festival.

Hosts Cameron and Stefanie are joined by CHEN Wanling—one of TIDF’s most senior programmers and a key force behind its curatorial vision, with more than a decade of experience and deep knowledge of the documentary field.

From TIDF’s beginnings in 1998 to the ideas behind this year’s Focus programme, Palestine and Its Archiveless Archives, this episode goes straight to the heart of the festival.

🎙️ In this episode:

➤ What is Wanling’s own TIDF story?
➤ What did the documentary landscape look like when TIDF was founded in 1998?
➤ How did TIDF grow into one of Asia’s leading documentary platforms?
➤ What defines its curatorial philosophy and programme structure?
➤ How was Palestine and Its Archiveless Archives conceived?
➤ Finally: What are Wanling’s must-watch picks ?

🔗 Links & Show Notes

• Taiwan International Documentary Festival 2026: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en
• Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival: https://www.yidff.jp/
• TFAI’s online public film archive: https://vod.tfai.org.tw/
• Focus Programme: Palestine and Its Archiveless Archives: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/category/shows2026/6059

🙋‍♀️Wanling’s picks:

- Kings and Extras: Digging for a Palestinian Image: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157575
Selection of three short films:
- Restored Pictures: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157570
- The Silent Protest 1929 Jerusalem: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157571
- Partition: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157572

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the first episode of the new English-language podcast series Talkin’ TIDF.
Your hosts are two longtime TIDF enthusiasts: Cameron, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan who researches East Asian cinema, and Stefanie, a dedicated TIDF volunteer.

🎙️ In this episode:

➤ What sets TIDF apart from other film festivals?
➤ How has TIDF developed as a “young” festival through educational outreach and volunteer training?
➤ How do they choose which films to watch—and which ones leave a lasting impact?
➤ How a film like From Island to Island resonates beyond the screen and spark discussion about Taiwan’s recent history

🔗 Links & Show Notes

• 15th Taiwan International Documentary Festival, 1-10 May 2026: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en
• TIDF Awards, Next Generation Award: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/page/1896
• From Island to Island by LAU Kek-huat: https://www.tidf.org.tw/en/films/157630
• The End of the track by MOU Tun-fei: https://www.tfai.org.tw/en/program/movieDetail/2c9580827e58477e017e6c0baaa90015

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.