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This thesis film Penguins at North Pole is a light comedy illustrating the queer family relationship, starring TAN Ai-Chen, Nikki HSIEH Hsin-Ying and Zaikai LIN, written by WANG Li-Wen and directed by Kassey C.M. HUANG with the support of Kaohsiung Film Archive and Public Television Service. The film depicts the life of Helen’s mother as she accidentally found out that her only daughter is a lesbian.
In the 21st century Taiwan, though the overall society has gradually destigmatized the LGBT community scientifically and legally, family remains a realm of argument and disagreement, especially when it comes to the right of marriage. The stress comes not only from the parents but also neighbours and relatives. With the advancement of technology, LGBT community and group support become more accessible for people in or out of closet, even at adolescence. On the other hand, their parents are confined by convention of the society with less resource via internet, if any, therefore more confused, isolated and troubled when facing the reality of their children’s sexual orientation.
This film has adopted a simple story and austere form to portray the psychological progression of parents dealing with their children’s coming-out from a parental viewpoint, as well as from the children’s. With the screenings of the short film, Q&A session and forums, the author aim to fill in the gap and facilitate the communication.
This essay investigate, from a producer’s point-of-view, the workflow of a functional short film with distinct character, starting from story development, fund-raising, production, post-production and marketing. It also examines the model of screening on tour, which expands the exposure of the film and in direct contact with a wider range of audience. The genuine public feedback upon the related issue would allow the author to explore the possibility of developing the short film into other media or format.
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