Black Bear Forest-Genres & Themes-國家電影及視聽文化中心 Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute

黑熊森林
Black Bear Forest

Directed : 李香秀 LEE Hsiang-Hsiu

Opening : 2021-11-24 00:00:00 ~ 2028-12-31 23:55:00

Year : 2016

Color : 彩色

Length : 02:06:29

Production: Taiwan

Introduction

Every winter, the elusive Formosan black bear, Taiwan's indigenous species, comes to the heart of Yushan National Park for food, giving the region its name as "the realm of bears". Since 1998, ecologist HWANG Mei-Hsiu has been researching the bears in the harsh terrain with the help of aboriginal hunter LIN as her guide. Those days as a bear chaser have shed light on this rarely-seen national treasure, and also highlighted the problem of illegal hunting.

This documentary is based on the diary HWANG kept during her fieldwork from 1998 to 2000. Filming began in 2011 and used close observation, interviews, research footage and animations to recreate the scenarios, while HWANG recounts the friendly relationship and rapport she had with LIN. Director LEE Hsiang-Hsiu spent six years capturing rare and precious footage including bears in their natural habitat, and even interacting with her camera. The pulses of life and the ever-changing breath of nature are all transported into this beautiful documentary.

Director's Profile

Born in 1964, LEE received her MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. The Lost Kingdom (1999) documents the rise and fall of Taiwanese opera in the 1950s. Chronicle of the Sea, Nan-Fang-Ao (2005), winner of the Golden Horse Best Documentary Award, offers a closer look at the connection between fishermen and marine ecosystems.