Pupils across Scotland will take steps to reduce local air pollution by walking to school during International Walk to School Month this October.
Currently around 45 per cent of pupils in Scotland walk to school.
Living Streets is encouraging pupils to #WalkForTheWorld this October.
Thousands of children across Scotland will take steps to reduce local air pollution by walking to school during International Walk to School Month this October.
Living Streets, the charity behind the walk to school campaign in the UK, is encouraging families to leave the car at home for the school run and instead join pupils globally who are celebrating the benefits of walking and wheeling to school during October.
The latest data for Scotland shows that around 45 per cent of pupils in Scotland currently walk to school.
Stephen Edwards, Interim Chief Executive, Living Streets said:“Swapping our short car journeys for walking or wheeling is an easy way to reduce air pollution, fuel consumption and congestion, and the journey to school is a great place to start.
“One in four cars on the road at morning peak hours are on the school run, despite the vast majority of families living less than two miles from their nearest school. Choosing cleaner ways to travel will help improve the air we breathe and help children to meet the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day needed to stay fit, healthy and happy.
“International Walk to School Month is an excellent opportunity for families to enjoy the benefits of walking to school.”
Living Streets is running a social media challenge for schools and families throughout October. Pupils are asked to choose an animal or natural habitat endangered by climate change and walk, wheel, scoot, cycle or Park & Stride to school to protect it.
Families and schools can then share their #WalkForTheWorld images on social media to be entered into a prize draw with prizes available for schools and families.
To find out more about International Walk to School Month and to enter the prize draw, visit livingstreets.org.uk/IWTSM
Road policing officers are appealing for information after a man was hit by a car which failed to stop on the Edinburgh City Bypass. The incident happened on the A720 westbound near the Lothianburn Junction shortly after 1.15am this morning (Sunday 3 October).
The 31-year-old man had stopped his Volkswagen car on the on-slip road to repair a puncture when he was struck by a vehicle. This vehicle failed to stop and continued on the City Bypass in the direction of the Dreghorn Junction.
The man was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment to serious injuries.The road reopened shortly before 4am following an investigation.
Sergeant Jennifer Forbes of Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit said: “Following our investigation at the scene, we believe the vehicle involved is in this incident was a white Audi Q3 or Q4 car and it will have obvious collision damage to the front bodywork.
“I would urge anyone who believes they may have seen a vehicle matching this description or something similar to get in touch.
“We would also be keen to speak to anyone who was on the City Bypass early on Sunday morning and may have dashcam footage to come forward.“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting incident 0282 of 3 October.”
Op Tutelage – a national policing initiative where drivers who appear to have no motor insurance are sent advisory letters – has encouraged over 150,000 motorists across the UK to drive insured since being introduced in January 2020.
In Scotland nearly 6,600 advisory letters have been issued. Police Scotland comments.
The initiative uses a nudge approach to positively influence decision making. Around 3 in 4 recipients have been successfully encouraged to make sure their vehicle becomes insured.
Op Tutelage helps roads policing focus resources on the remaining dangerous drivers who intentionally drive without insurance – making roads safer and fairer for all.
Op Tutelage – a national policing initiative where police forces issue advisory letters to drivers that appear to have no motor insurance – has encouraged over 150,000 motorists across the UK to drive insured.
The initiative which is led by the NPCC’s National Roads Policing Operations, Intelligence and Investigation (NRPOII) and supported by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), was introduced in January 2020 to help reduce uninsured driving levels across the UK.
By using MIB’s Motor Insurance Database (MID) – a central record of all active motor insurance policies in the UK – police forces can quickly identify any vehicle that appears not to have insurance and send the registered keeper an advisory letter.
Results have been highly successful with 151,464 drivers correcting their insurance status to date following over 215,000 advisory letters issued thus far, which equates to around 3 in 4 people.
In Scotland alone 6,594 advisory letters have been issued so far.
Op Tutelage’s advisory letters were developed alongside Dr Helen Wells, a criminologist and roads policing expert from Keele University and Director of the Roads Policing Academic Network. By drawing on research into the use of nudges, behaviour change approaches and the concept of procedural justice, the letters encourage motorists to take corrective action and drive insured.
There are a range of reasons why someone’s vehicle might show as uninsured on the MID. Causes stem from the unintentional such as drivers not realising their policy has expired or admin errors, all the way through to those willing to break the law by intentionally driving without insurance.
By sending out advisory letters, police forces want to give a chance to those who may have not realised their vehicle was uninsured to correct this before heading out on the road. Roads policing officers are then more likely to stop motorists who intentionally drive without insurance, who are linked to a higher rate of collisions and additional road traffic offences.
With all the UK’s 45 police forces having now signed up to Op Tutelage, the results have continued to grow per month. August alone saw more than 10,000 drivers nationally go from uninsured to insured.
Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, Head of Road Policing at Police Scotland, said: “Op Tutelage is an effective way of reducing the number of uninsured vehicles on our roads. There are a number of reasons why a vehicle may show on the Motor Insurance Database as holding no insurance and Op Tutelage provides an opportunity for registered keepers to take action as necessary.
“Police Scotland is committed to keeping the roads safe and this operation allows our officers to take action against those who deliberately break the law and put other road users in danger.”
Ben Fletcher, Chief Customer Officer at MIB, said: “Op Tutelage is delivering outstanding results. By utilising MID data and behavioural change approaches, we can encourage most drivers who are not correctly insured to positively act.
“This means roads policing can focus more of their resources on the minority of motorists who deliberately break the law and put road users at greater risk.
“With traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels the last thing anyone needs is to be impacted by uninsured motorists. I’m very pleased to say that Op Tutelage is helping to make roads safer and fairer for everyone. I look forward to seeing the great results of MIB’s partnership with NRPOII as we continue to drive down uninsured driving levels.”
Dr Helen Wells, Criminologist at Keele University and Director of the Roads Policing Academic Network, said: “Some people who drive without insurance do so by mistake, but others do it on purpose, and Op Tutelage helps the police focus their resources on those drivers that really need taking off the road.
Feedback shows that the public think this is a fair and legitimate way to police the roads and that the police value the extra intelligence it gives them.”
Alongside Op Tutelage, MIB works with police on a range of initiatives to tackle uninsured driving.
Roads police can access the MID to check if a vehicle appears to be uninsured. If disputed by the driver, the officer can contact MIB’s Police Helpline whose Agents liaise with insurers in real-time to confirm if valid insurance exists.
Driving without insurance can result in a £300 fixed penalty notice, six licence points and the driver’s vehicle can be seized and crushed. In addition, uninsured drivers can face court where they could receive an unlimited fine and a driving ban.
Over 148,000 vehicles were seized for no insurance across the UK in 2020, at a rate of one every four minutes.
MIB is encouraging motorists to check that their vehicle is showing as insured on the MID which can be done for free at www.askMID.co.uk
Joseph Rowntree Foundation issues a stark warning ahead of the cut to Universal Credit scheduled for 6 October – the same day as the Prime Minister’s speech at Conservative Party Conference.
New analysis looks at the impact of the Universal Credit cut by local authority.
On Wednesday, as the Prime Minister delivers his speech to the Conservative Party Conference, his government will be imposing the biggest ever overnight cut to social security. This will reduce the incomes of around 5.5 million families by £1,040 per year.
In the Greater Manchester Combined Authority area – the host city of this year’s Conservative Party Conference – around 312,000 working-age families (26%) are facing this historic cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit.
If the Government presses ahead with the cut, it would:
Pull half a million people into poverty, including 200,000 children.
Fundamentally undermine the adequacy of our social security system at precisely the moment when families are facing considerable increases in the cost of their energy bills, prices on the shelves are going up and National Insurance is set to rise in April 2022.
Reduce the main rate of out-of-work support down to its lowest level in real terms since around 1990 and its lowest ever level as a proportion of average earnings.
The Government themselves have admitted this week that families may struggle to meet basic costs, like food and heating, by increasing the funding available for local authorities to give grants to families in emergency situations.
The support available through their newly announced Household Support Fund is temporary and discretionary and is typically reserved for one-off emergency situations such as a broken fridge. This scheme does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge facing families.
Who will be impacted by the cut?
New analysis finds that in 35 local authorities across Great Britain 50% or more of working-age families with children will be impacted by the planned cut.
JRF has consistently warned that:
Working families make up around 60% of families who will be affected by the cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit.
Families with children (particularly single-parent families), those containing someone who is disabled, and Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (‘BAME’) families, will be disproportionately impacted by the reduction in Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit.
The cut will have the most severe impact in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North East, North West and West Midlands, although no region will be left unscathed by this decision.
Katie Schmuecker, Deputy Director of Policy & Partnerships at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said:“The Prime Minister is abandoning millions to hunger and hardship with his eyes wide open. The biggest ever overnight cut to social security flies in the face of the Government’s mission to unite and level up our country.
“When the increase to Universal Credit was introduced, the Chancellor said it was to “strengthen the safety net” – a tacit admission a decade of cuts and freezes had left our social security lifeline to wear thin and threadbare for families in and out of work relying on it. This planned cut would reverse the progress made and leave it wholly inadequate.
“People’s bills won’t get £87-a-month cheaper from Wednesday and families are already anxious about how they will get through a looming cost of living crisis. This decision is set to plunge half a million people into poverty and shows a total disregard for the consequences. The Prime Minister cannot say he has not been warned, he must abandon this cut.”
Table 1: Top 10 Labour and Conservative majority local authorities with the highest percentage of working-age families with children impacted by the cut
Top 10 Labour majority local authorities affected
Top 10 Conservative majority local authorities affected
Local Authority
% of all working-age families with children impacted by the cut
Local Authority
% of all working-age families with children impacted by the cut
Newham
64
Pendle
58
Leicester
62
Walsall
53
Manchester
61
Great Yarmouth
52
Bradford
61
North East Lincolnshire
50
Oldham
60
Southampton
49
Birmingham
60
East Lindsey
48
Blackburn with Darwen
58
Dover
45
Kingston upon Hull – City of
58
North Lincolnshire
44
Sandwell
58
South Holland
44
Tower Hamlets
58
Nuneaton and Bedworth
44
Of local authorities with no majority party, with the highest percentages of working-age families with children impacted by the planned cut, Middlesbrough (60%) and Burnley (58%) are both coalition-led councils. Blackpool (57%) is Labour minority and Thanet (55%), Peterborough (55%) and Stoke-on-Trent (55%) are all Conservative minority.
Table 2: Families impacted by £20-per-week reduction to UC/WTC in October 2021
Family type
Families on UC or WTC losing £20 per week in October 2021
Number of families (millions)
Proportion of families who lose
% of all working-age families of that type who lose
All working-age families
5.5
100%
20%
Families with someone in work
3.5
64%
16%
Families without someone in work
2.0
36%
33%
Single without children
2.3
42%
18%
Couples without children
0.6
10%
8%
Single-parent families
1.1
20%
61%
Couple-parent families
1.5
28%
25%
Families where someone is disabled
2.8
50%
35%
Families where no one is disabled
2.7
50%
14%
BAME families
1.1
20%
25%
Non-BAME families
4.4
80%
19%
Source: Microsimulation by JRF using the IPPR Tax and Benefits Microsimulation Model and the OBR’s March 2021 forecasts. Breakdowns may not sum to totals due to rounding.
Making this decision with his eyes wide open:
The cut is opposed by six former Conservative Work & Pensions Secretaries, the Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs, the One Nation Group of Conservative MPs, all the devolved administrations, numerous cross-party committees in all nations of the UK. Iain Duncan Smith recently said, “the extra £20 has returned to UC some of the investment that was cut from my original design.”
100 organisations are urging the Prime Minister not to cut Universal Credit. Among the signatories of the joint open letter to the Prime Minister are leading voices on health, education, children, housing, poverty, the economy and other aspects of public policy. (published 2 September)
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has joined with the First Minister of Wales and the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to demand Prime Minister Boris Johnson “do the right thing” by reversing the decision to withdraw the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit.
In a rare joint intervention, the leaders of the devolved nations have warned in a letter that the UK Government “is withdrawing this lifeline just as the country is facing a significant cost-of-living crisis.”
They have urged the Prime Minister to “consider the moral, social and economic harms” of the of this cut, and “do the right thing” and reverse his government’s decision to withdraw this funding which will harm around 6 million people across the UK.
The First Minister, along with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Northern Ireland First Minister and deputy First Minister Paul Givan and Michelle O’Neill say the move, which comes into effect this Wednesday, 6 October, is short sighted at a time of increases in the cost of food and fuel, rising inflation, the end of the furlough scheme, and imminent rise in National Insurance contributions.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I do not think there has been anything quite so morally indefensible in UK policy in recent times as the proposed cut to Universal Credit.
“At a time when we are facing the impact of the pandemic, Brexit and soaring costs, removing £20 per week from the lowest-income households simply cannot be defended in any way, shape or form.
“The planned cut represents the biggest overnight reduction to the basic rate of social security in more than 70 years and would sever a crucial lifeline for countless households across the UK at a time when budgets are already facing an unprecedented squeeze.
“It is an immoral, ill-thought out and ultimately counterproductive policy which simply must be stopped.
“Those on low incomes are going to find it difficult to feed their children, heat their homes, and pay their rent if the cut goes ahead. We have therefore united as the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to say to the Prime Minister: ‘Do not do this.’”
The full text of the letter is included below:
Dear Prime Minister
We are writing to call on you, with the utmost urgency, to reverse your Government’s short-sighted decision to withdraw the £20-per-week uplift to Universal Credit.
Your Government is withdrawing this lifeline just as the country is facing a significant cost-of-living crisis. This winter millions of people are facing an untenable combination of increases to the cost of food and energy, rising inflation, the end of the furlough scheme, and an imminent hike to National Insurance contributions.
There is no rationale for cutting such crucial support at a point when people across the UK are facing an unprecedented squeeze on their household budgets.
Within the last month, an overwhelming majority of elected members in Holyrood, the Senedd, Stormont and Westminster have voiced their opposition to this cut to Universal Credit, as have the four social security committees of each parliament. The four Children’s Commissioners of each nation, numerous charities and faith groups have also expressed their grave concerns as have millions of people who face additional and unnecessary hardship because of this cut to Universal Credit against the backdrop of a winter of hardship.
We note your Government’s announcement of a Household Support Fund – an acknowledgment that too many people will be unable to make ends meet this winter. Unfortunately, a £500 million fund handed out on a discretionary basis is wholly inadequate to making up the £6 billion shortfall in social security expenditure that will result from the cut to Universal Credit.
Your Government has repeatedly refused to conduct any impact analysis on the biggest overnight reduction to the basic rate of social security for more than 70 years.
As such, it is important that we draw your attention to the growing body of evidence and analysis about the harm this cut will inflict. Research by the Resolution Foundation and the Trussell Trust has highlighted the significant and devastating impact the cliff-edge withdrawal of the £20-a-week uplift to Universal Credit will have on family incomes, with an associated rise in food insecurity.
The Legatum Institute has produced sobering analysis highlighting that the £20-per-week uplift has kept 840,000 people, including 290,000 children, out of poverty in Q2 of 2021. It makes no sense at all to knowingly pursue a policy that will result in this immense and needless rise in child poverty and we ask you to consider the lasting harm and costs of this cut accordingly.
It is important to note that this will increase poverty and hardship without delivering any tangible social or economic benefits. The UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights said – when calling upon you to reverse this cut – that for a healthy and well-qualified workforce to emerge, your Government must provide adequate levels of social protection. Years of a freeze on benefits means Universal Credit has not kept pace with rising living costs. Further to this, rising inflation means that a basic rate of Universal Credit after this cut will hold less purchasing power than it did in March 2020.
To support a meaningful recovery from this pandemic we must first ensure the needs of our most vulnerable are met. This cut threatens to undermine the recovery by diminishing the capacity of six million people to make ends meet.
It is not too late for you to reverse the decision to take money out of the pockets of the poorest in society at a time when they are facing a serious cost of living crisis.
We, with the full support of the Northern Ireland Executive and the Scottish and Welsh Governments, urge you to consider the moral, social and economic harms of this cut, and do the right thing and reverse your decision to withdraw this lifeline.
A copy of this letter is being sent to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and relevant Secretary of States for the devolved nations.
It’s World Porridge Day on 10 October – and while for some this might conjure up images of Goldilocks and The Three Bears, or those famous old porridge adverts, there’s also a more important meaning to this day, one that can, quite literally, change lives.
Mary’s Meals feeds more than two million children in 19 countries around the world every school day. In the countries where the charity works, including Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, children are normally served steaming mugs of porridge, known locally as likuni phala, enriched with vitamins to help them learn and grow.
Providing a daily meal in a place of education is helping even the most vulnerable children to attend school and concentrate in lessons, giving them the freedom to learn and fulfil their potential. And the average global cost to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year is just £15.90.
Your readers can learn more about the work of this charity, and how a mug of porridge is helping to transform young lives, at marysmeals.org.uk
Sophie Thompson,
British actor and former winner of Celebrity MasterChef
The world’s first postgraduate degree programme focusing on animal behaviour and welfare is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.
The MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare is a collaborative programme offered by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the University of Edinburgh.
The anniversary will be celebrated on Monday (4 October) – with a day of talks, videos and interviews with alumni and lecturers, past and present – to coincide with World Animal Day.
Established in 1991, it cemented Edinburgh’s reputation as the birthplace of animal welfare science.
Previously, the Society for Veterinary Ethology (SVE) had been formed in Edinburgh in 1966, following public pressure on the Government to investigate the welfare of farm animals – which in turn led to the Brambell Report on Animal Welfare.
The MSc programme utilised contributions from colleagues in SRUC (then the Scottish Agricultural College), the University of Edinburgh – including the departments of the Institute of Ecology & Resource Management, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and the Department of Divinity, The Roslin Institute and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
More than 700 students from all over the world have since graduated from the programme and gone on to forge successful careers in animal welfare or related fields in research, education, government, veterinary practice, non-governmental and industry organisations.
The qualification is awarded through the University of Edinburgh, and SRUC has continued to play a pivotal role in its development. SRUC’s Animal Behaviour and Welfare research group, which was established in the 1980s, is now one of the largest in the world with more than 15 post-doctoral scientists and 20 PhD students studying the behaviour and welfare of all farmed species.
Chair of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at SRUC and University of Edinburgh Professor Alistair Lawrence, who was one of the founding members of the Masters programme, said: “This course has easily surpassed our expectations when we established it in the early 1990s in terms of its longevity and number of graduates.
“It is hard to imagine a more important and impactful contribution to animal welfare than this MSc.”
An Ambulance Control Centre (ACC) Call Hander for the Scottish Ambulance Service has been named UK Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year, following his involvement in helping deliver a baby over the phone.
Neil Hardy, who works as a call hander at East ACC, was presented with the prestigious award at UK Navigator, the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED) conference.
Neil was praised for his role in saving the life of a mother and newborn baby, after receiving a call from the father, who was driving to hospital on the motorway. The mother had gone into labour in the back of the car, and Neil provided instructions over the phone for the father to deliver the baby at the side of the motorway, all the while helping to keep him calm.
However the baby came out feet first, and was not breathing when delivered. Neil instructed the father to clear the airwaves and administer CPR and when the crew arrived the baby was breathing, and both the baby and the mum, made a full recovery.
Neil said: “Being nominated for the award of Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year by my colleagues is extremely humbling. To have been selected by the IAED as the 2021 winner is an amazing personal achievement as well as a huge reflection on all of us within ambulance control in Scotland.
“Within the ACC it’s acknowledged that assisting with the delivery of a baby over the phone is one of the most challenging calls to take. In this particular case there were added complications with the birth, including the limited space of a car backseat on the side of a motorway.
“Later finding out that both Mum and Baby have recovered and are doing well is hugely rewarding and reflects on the efforts and expertise of the whole team involved in their care.
“Emergency call handlers are the first ambulance response to patients calling for help and I am proud to be part of the team that does this in Scotland.”
Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Our call handlers are the first line of contact between patients and the ambulance crew, and their knowledge, experience and ability to keep calm under pressure can make such a difference to patients and save lives.
“I’m so proud of Neil Hardy for his actions, and this award is testament to his dedication, and of the ACC as a whole, in providing care to patients across Scotland.”
Other SAS finalists at the event included Neil Spiers, Kirsten Mann, and Suzanne Stuart.
Taiwan Film Festival Edinburghreturns for its second edition between 25 and 31 October with a fantastic range of Taiwanese cinema gems, many of them UK premieres, dating from the 1930s up to 2020, presented through in-person screenings and digital talks at Glasgow Film Theatre and Summerhall in Edinburgh and a free digital programme of films.
With the theme of Disruptions and Transformations, inspired by the fast-changing and unsettling world in the past few years, the Festival explores both the monumental historic shifts the Taiwanese society experienced over the decades but also portrays the seemingly small disruptions of the everyday.
Featuring the work of legends such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang, and exploring topics such as war, urban life and the struggles of the LGBTQ+ community, the free programme of digital screenings is now available to pre-book on the Festival’s digital platform. Access is limited to a specific number of viewers per film so audiences are advised to book early.
For the first time, the Festival also presents a range of in-person screenings. As part of their special climate-focused strand in the run up to COP26, Glasgow Film Theatre will host a screening of two environmental documentaries showing how Taiwanese filmmakers address environmental transformations caused by economic and industrial progress – after all, the climate emergency is the ultimate change and interruption we all must respond to together.
On 25 October, Sacred Forest (2019) will delve deep into the majestic cypress forest in Taiwan and on 30 October, Whale Island (2020) will explore how the ocean might become our home one day. Tickets on sale soon.
Sounds in Silence is a double bill of silent cinema gems offering an extraordinary glimpse into the everyday lives of Taiwanese people in the early and mid-20th century, presented at Summerhall on 27 October and featuring new score from acclaimed composer and musician Lim Giong and live music by Glasgow-based experimental musician Rory Green. With contemporary film scoring featuring on the archive films from decades ago, the event is going to take audience on a trip through time to Taiwan in the 1930s and 1960s.
Liu Kuan-Ping, Chief Curator at the Festival, said: “I am really excited that for the first time, Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh is bringing three in-person screenings taking place at two fantastic arts institutions: Glasgow Film Theatre and Summerhall – all exploring Disruptions and Transformations on a macro and micro scale.
“I cannot wait to meet our audience face to face, with facial masks on of course. We are also pleased to be back with an inspired programme of free digital screenings this year available to nationwide audiences.
“We would like to thank the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan, our generous sponsor, as well as our partners Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute who have been instrumental in securing some of the cinematic gems we are now able to share with our UK audiences.”
Telling us the inspiration of the theme, one of theco-curators, Chiu Yi-Chieh said: “On 23 March 2020, all of our lives were interrupted in unimaginable ways by the global pandemic- it was precisely at that time that the Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh was born.
“It made us reflect on how changes and interruptions are always present in our daily lives. When we were making the selection, we wanted to encourage audiences to look beyond the canons and fall in love with films that are overdue the world’s applause.
“We welcome audiences’ own interpretative grouping by putting all films under the theme of Disruptions and Transformations without the conventional curatorial classification.”
Head of Taipei Representative Office UK Cultural Division, Dr Chen Pin-Chuan said: “It is great to see Taiwan Film Festival Edinburgh continuing the great work. Through these wonderful films from Taiwan, we hope to establish connections with Scottish audiences, and will introduce more cultural and arts programs to Scotland in the near future.”
2021 TAIWAN FILM FESTIVAL EDINBURGH PROGRAMME
IN-PERSON SCREENINGS in Glasgow and Edinburgh
Sacred Forest 神殿| Ke Ching-Yuan| 2019 | 60 mins
In-person screening on 25 October at Glasgow Film Theatre; tickets on sale soon.
Sacred Forest takes an eco-philosophical approach to introduce the deeply unique nature of Taiwan’s cloud enveloped cypress forest ecosystems and to explore the nation’s oldest forests, tallest tree species, and priceless, multi-millennial stands of giant ‘sacred trees’. Sacred Forest follows six separate groups, each with different interests and field specialties, as they experience the raw majesty of the forest from multiple facets ranging from the analytically intellectual to the introspectively emotional and spiritually uplifting.
The screening will also feature a special introduction from the film director, Ke Ching-yuan.
Whale Island 男人與他的海 | Huang Jia Jun| 2020 | 108 mins | UK Premiere
In-person screening on 30 October at Glasgow Film Theatre; tickets on sale soon.
Taiwan is an island. Although it is surrounded by the sea, its people fear the sea since the history and the religious beliefs held on this island make people turn their backs to the sea. Oceanic literature author Liao Hung-chi and underwater photographer Ray Chin lead the audience out to the sea and into the water. They prompt us to understand the sea and to think about the possibility that the ocean might become our lives and the future of our living land.
The screening will also feature a special introduction from the film director, Huang Jia-jun
Sounds in Silence double bill at 6.30pm on 27 October in Summerhall, Edinburgh; also online 28-31 Oct on Festival website.
A Morning in Taipei 臺北之晨 | Pai Jing-jui | 1964 | 20 mins | UK Premiere
Director Pai Jing-jui’s 1964 short documentary depicts a modern, industrious Taipei full of diverse and determined individuals as they perform their morning routines. People begin their workday, actors prepare for a theatrical performance, and children play in the schoolyard; the day is full of wonder and possibility.
A pre-recorded conversation between Chen Chia-Huei (co-creator of the new score and sound for A Morning in Taipei and the art consultant and Head of Education at the Taiwan Sound Lab) and musician Rory Green will be screened after A Morning in Taipei.
Deng Nan-guang’s 8mm Movies 鄧南光8mm家庭電影| Deng Nan-guang| 1935-1941| 57 mins| UK Premiere
Deng Nan-Guang’s 57-minute collection of intimate home-style videos, filmed between 1935 and 1941, captures an overlooked side of Taiwanese life under Japanese occupation. The films serve as a well-preserved time portal to a bygone era, offering a glimpse of life in Taiwan under colonial rule in the lead up to the Second World War. Screened to a live music score from a Glasgow-based experimental musician Rory Green.
DIGITAL SCREENINGS on the Festival website between 25 and 31 October
The Best Secret Agent 天字第一號 | Chang Ying | 1964 | 102 mins
The first Taiwanese-language spy film produced in Taiwan; The Best Secret Agent is a remake of the 1945 movie of the same name that caused a sensation in Shanghai. During the Sino-Japanese War, Tsui-Ying flees with her father from the Japanese occupation. She meets a young man, Ling-Yun, and falls in love. In the meantime, Special Agent 001 leads the resistance against the Japanese.
Foolish Bride, Naive Bridegroom 三八新娘憨子婿| Hsin Chi | 1967 | 101 mins
The parents of two young lovers meet to discuss the possibility of their marriage, only to discover that they themselves were lovers 30 years ago.
Dangerous Youth 危險的青春 | Hsin Chi | 1969 | 95 mins
Khue-guan (Shi Ying), a penniless delivery boy for a cosmetics company, meets Tsing-bi (Zheng Xiao-fen), a young and charming waitress, in awkward circumstances just as his girlfriend leaves him for a wealthy suitor. Khue-guan is intrigued by Tsing-bi and tries to get her another job after meeting Giok-sian (Gao Xing-zhi), who runs a cabaret. Eventually, she finds out that her new job is as an escort to a lonely, elderly millionaire named Mr. Tshi.
The Homecoming Pilgrimage of Dajia Mazu 大甲媽祖回娘家| Huang Chun-ming | 1975 | 27 mins | UK Premiere
Viewers are transported back in time to 1974 to see the annual Taoist celebration of the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage. Thousands of participants accompany a statue of the goddess Mazu on a 9-day, 8-night procession, stopping at several prominent temples along the way.
Taipei Story 青梅竹馬 | Edward Yang | 1985 | 115 mins
A headstrong and financially-secure woman, Chin (played by Chin Tsai), is anxious to move forward in life and escape from the dissatisfaction and pain caused by family troubles, urban alienation, a lack of job security, tumultuous friendships, and a distant past of baseball glory to which her boyfriend, Lung (Hou Hsiao-hsien), so desperately clings. Chin thinks moving to America may be the solution, but as time goes by, it becomes increasingly clear that may not fix all her problems.
Dust in the Wind 戀戀風塵 | Hou Hsiao-Hsien | 1986 | 109 mins
Dust in the Wind is a coming-of-age love story about two young individuals, Wan and Huen, from the Taiwanese mining village of Jio-fen. Their hope is to make enough money to be able to get married one day, believing like everyone else that they are meant for each other. Despite what fate may seem to have in store for them, they cannot help but care deeply for one another.
Peony Birds 牡丹鳥 | Huang Yu-shan| 1990 | 107 mins | UK Premiere
A multi-generational story about the troubled relationship between a mother and a daughter: from when she was a young child to adulthood and her joining her mother in the busy Taipei of the 80s and 90s and pursuing a career of her own.
Also available on the Festival’s digital platform will be a Q&A session with director Huang Yu-shan.
Hill of no Return 無言的山丘 | Wang Tung | 1992 | 175 mins
This 1992 drama, set in 1927, tells the tale of two brothers, Chu and Wei, who leave home following the death of their parents to work at a Japanese-occupied gold mine in the remote, poverty-stricken town of Jiou-fen in the northeast of Taiwan. The brothers dream of one day becoming rich and owning their own land and, taken in by the gold rush, they endure back-breaking labour for little reward. They then both fall deeply in love with partners that risk to complicate their lives even further.
Also available on the Festival’s digital platform will be a Q&A session with director Wang Tung.
The Personals 徵婚啓事 | Chen Kuo-Fu | 1998 | 105 mins
Du Jia-zhen is a 29-year-old eye doctor at a hospital, who decides to quit her job and find a husband. She places a personal ad in the newspaper, searching for a potential match to distract herself from recent heartbreak. The film depicts the urban dating scene of Taipei in the 1990s in all of its absurdity and hideousness, conveying humour through humiliation and evoking sympathy for the strangest people.
Splendid Float 豔光四射歌舞團 | Zero Zhou | 2004 | 73 mins
An aesthetically stunning, lightly humorous, and dramatic film that confronts traditional gender roles and explores the themes of conformity, grief, acceptance, personal struggle, and identity. A Taoist priest named Xiao Qiang-wei (James Chen) doubles as a drag queen by the name of Rose that performs at various nightlife venues.
Closing Time 打烊時刻 | Nicole Vogele | 2018 | 116 mins
Swiss filmmaker Nicole Vogele’s documentary Closing Time captures the calm after the storm of midnight living. The film draws attention to the quiet, fatigued period that follows the hustle and bustle of Taipei’s vibrant city life and the night shift workers that keep the city awake well into the early hours of the next day.
