2012 Taiwan Documentary Film Festival (day two):

Film Screening

They Are Flying

(Huang Chia-chun, 2008, 118, Taiwan, Mandarin with English subtitles, Color, DVD)

-- Q&A to follow with director Huang Chia-chun!

In the summer of 2006, a group of disadvantaged youths accomplished a remarkable feat by undertaking a 1,000-kilometer trip around the island on unicycles. Many of the boys have been victims of domestic violence; some have run away from home and others have been in trouble with the police. Their inspiring story is captured in the 2008 Taipei Film Festival award-winning documentary They Are Flying.

The movie highlights some of Taiwan's beautiful scenery; however, the real story here is that of the boys and the two men, Reverend Huang and Lu Su-wei, who inspire and lead them on the ride. The boys come from troubled backgrounds, each of which is so compelling that it could be a documentary in itself.

"The documentary shows learning to ride a unicycle is not easy. It involves falling off many times. In many ways it is a metaphor for the boys’ lives. They Are Flying is an inspiring and moving documentary. I highly recommend it." -- popular Taiwan blogger David on Formosa

Cost: Free and Open to the Public!

Sponsors: The Asian Pacific Studies Institute (APSI), the Program in Arts of the Moving Image (AMI), the Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), and the Triangle China Forum on Urbanization and Migration (with support from the Franklin Humanities Institute, the Provost's Office, and UNC Carolina Arts Center, and the UNC Center for Global Initiatives).