Beyond beauty - Taiwan from above

From:http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/11/27/documentary-beyond-beauty-captures-taiwan-from-above/

It has been said that when the early Portuguese explorers first laid eyes on Taiwan in the 1500s, they were so impressed with the island’s lush green mountains and pristine turquoise shorelines that they decided to name the place “Ilha Formosa” — beautiful island — on the spot.

More than 500 years later, as Taiwan transforms from an agrarian society to a high-tech-dominated economy, many of the majestic peaks that took the settlers’ breath away have been sullied by residential blocks, tea plantations, and high-end hotels. The once clear waters off its beaches are also discolored by the massive amount of chemical waste discharged by factories each year.

“In a way, what happened in Taiwan is a reflection of what’s happening in many parts of the world,” said Chi Po-lin, the director of this year’s Golden Horse Awards winner for best documentary, “Beyond Beauty, Taiwan from Above.”

The 48-year-old aerial photographer-turned-filmmaker used to work for the government’s National Highway Engineering Bureau, taking tens of thousands images of the island during helicopter trips over the past two decades.

Sitting in his small Taipei office, lined with books on Taiwan’s landscape and geography, he said he had long wanted to make a movie based on his photographs, but for years it seemed like a far-fetched dream. That changed in 2009, when French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand released his aerial documentary “Home” on climate change and global warming.

Mr. Chi said his motivation for making “Beyond” was not to point a finger at a certain industry or even the government, but to present a realistic view of Taiwan’s growing environmental problems. His hope is to make people think twice the next time they throw out the garbage or turn on the faucet.

One of the most unsettling images is of a traditionally scenic spot in the Alishan Mountains, visited by millions of tourists each year. The view from above shows a popular sunrise viewing point at a train station, which sits at the edge of a precipice in danger of landslides each time a typhoon or earthquake hits.The documentary opens with images of the island’s unspoiled natural beauty as the camera pans from the unbroken mountains ranges of Yangmingshan National Park in the north, to the sapphire-hued alpine Jiaming Lake in the east and the roaming indigenous wildlife of the south. Then, the spell is broken as the film detours to locations that are being destroyed as a result of Taiwan’s rapid industrialization.

The documentary also shows the waters near many Taiwan’s industrial parks tainted with toxic hues of green, crimson and fluorescent orange, as factories continue to pump out waste into rivers that feed water sources for the residents and marine life nearby.

Though scenes like this are alarming, Mr. Chi said he views of himself more as a storyteller or record-keeper than an environmental activist. His goal, he insisted, is to tell the tale of Taiwan and let the audience decide what changes they can make in their lives to decelerate the island’s demise.

“I am not here to judge, because I understand there is a price to pay to live the way to we do right now,” said the director. “But each of us must stop pretending that all this destruction is not happening.”

He added, “Just because we refuse to see it or pretend it is not there, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Pointing to his glasses, Mr. Chi said that years of trying to getting his camera lens to focus while riding on a shaky helicopter has taken a toll on his eyesight.Currently in Mandarin with English subtitles, the documentary has proven a success in its domestic market, grossing more than 85 million New Taiwan dollars (more than $2.8 million) since its Nov. 1 premiere. It is now being discussed for release in the U.S., China, Hong Kong and Singapore, with plans under way to make an international version for which Mr. Chi hopes to enlist Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee as a narrator.

“It is a tough job but I will keep doing it,” he said. “Telling the story of Taiwan is the least I can to show my gratitude to the land that has given me so much.”