ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes a strategy to programming Taiwan, one developed from years as a festival attendee, journalist, juror, and now head of programming for the largest regular showcase of Taiwanese cinema of any film festival outside Asia. As one of the largest showcases of Asian cinema in North America, San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) was already programming films from Taiwan in its regular festival line-up, often with some financial assistance from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) of Los Angeles. Previously, films from Taiwan at SDAFF would be labelled as from 'Taiwan' and would screen alongside many other films labelled by their home nation. Through University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and TECO's resources for filmmaker travel, through UCSD's venue, and through the Taiwanese American audience's presence and questions, the SDAFF was given a precious space for programming that could open up Taiwan to unfamiliar paths of consideration on the international film festival circuit.
