In celebration of Asian American Heritage Month, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States joins the Asia Heritage Foundation in presenting Din Tao: Leader of the Parade as part of the Fiesta Asia Film Festival.
Show Time: Thursday, May 30 @ 6:30 pm
Show Venue: Theater One, West End Cinema
2301 M Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Show Tickets: $10
Website: http://asiaheritagefoundation.org/events/fiesta-asia-film-fest/
Din Tao: Leader of the Parade is based on the true story of the Chio-Tian Folk Drums and Arts Troupe in Taichung, Taiwan. As part of Taiwan’s unique culture, “Din Tao” is a traditional ritual in front of religious processions that requires performers to “initiate the faces and poses as gods” by putting on special face painting and wearing heavy body puppet costumes. While the performance demands rigid training in martial arts and acrobatics, it is usually regarded as more religious than artistic. This film tells the story of how younger generations collaborated to innovate traditional Din Tao performance, and brought it from ancient religious street fairs to the stage. It also depicts how the modern fusion created tension among troupe members who must tackle various challenges in the way including family rivalries and generational gaps.
Din Tao is director Fung Kai’s feature-film debut after years directing television series. Following his 2006 Golden Bell Awards win for Best Director, Fung embarked on a project he had been nurturing for ten years. Released during the Chinese New Year in 2012, Din Tao went on to break the US$10 million mark at the box office, becoming 2012’s highest-grossing movie in Taiwan. Director Fung collaborated with the troupe members to bring the authentic Din Tao experience to the silver screen. Viewers can get a sense of Taiwan’s unique cultures and how folk arts evolved to an artistic level with a combination of martial arts, acrobatics and percussion music.
For more information about the screening, please contact Thalia Lin by phone at (202) 895-1852 or by e-mail at thalialin@tecro.us.
