Monika TREUT
Asian Premiere
While democracies around the world are under pressure, Taiwan stands out for its resilience against China?™s digital autocracy. Guided by former Digital Minister and laureate of the Alternative Nobel Prize 2025 Audrey Tang, the film explores a vibrant activist scene where queer voices, feminist thinkers, and grassroots innovators shape a pluralistic vision of democracy. Among them: Zo and Tiffany at their herbal teahouse Grassland, Tong and his lesbian mother at the LGBTQ+ group Hotline, Brian and Yo-Ling at Daybreak, and Yi-Chien and Shu-Wen, who fight for gender equality and marriage rights. Together, they reveal what sustains Taiwan?™s democratic spirit.
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After Russia's aggressive invasion of Ukraine, the PRC's threats toward Taiwan also increased, and there was much evidence to suggest that Xi Jin Ping would use Putin's war of aggression as a possible blueprint for his behavior toward Taiwan. That really worried me too. Global journalistic interest in Taiwan increased, but was mainly limited to the military and political threat posed by the PRC. However, thanks to my knowledge of Taiwanese culture, I am more familiar with its peculiarities than most journalists. I would like to get to know and present Taiwanese people and their exciting and innovative achievements more intimately and personally in order to ultimately achieve a lasting interest and greater sympathy for this innovative Island Republic.
Through my network of contacts, I met exciting people who embody the new activist movements in Taiwan. I would like to introduce these people in order to draw an infectious and groundbreaking documentary portrait of a part of contemporary Taiwanese society from which we can learn a lot in times of disenchantment with democracy and the rise of right-wing extremists. The Taiwanese open government model can be read as a prerequisite for a humane future by providing a possible answer to the challenges of digitalization to democracy.
Monika Treut studied German Studies and Political Science in Marburg and earned her PhD from Philipps University of Marburg in 1984. In the same year, she co-founded Hyäne Filmproduktion with Elfi Mikesch and has since worked as a writer, director, and producer. Her work has been honored with several lifetime achievement awards, including the Berlinale¡¯s Special Teddy Award.