The Island of Freedom
“The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family bonds, and no one can stop the historical trend of national reunification.” Xi Jinping New Year Speech, 1 January 2025
The Island of Freedom is a portrait of contemporary Taiwan, an island with a troubled history and an uncertain future, under the constant threat of invasion from China. Drawing on the personal stories and artistic work of the protagonists - from writers to activists and political illustrators - the film creates a powerful and layered mosaic of human destinies as they struggle to preserve identity and freedom amid geopolitical tensions.
The film combines elements of political documentary, artistic and almost intimate testimony. The subject is approached from different perspectives - Taiwanese and foreign. This multicultural range of protagonists, including Ukrainian activist Alex Khomenko, Czech cinematographer Karel Pícha, Hongkongese political artist Kacey Wong, Taiwanese political cartoonist Stellina Chen and a dystopian writer Chu Yu-hsun connects the Taiwanese situation with global issues of political unfreedom and oppression, creating a bridge between the audience and the film's subjects, captured from the point of view of the director who comes from the Czech Republic and bring her perspective and will be present behind the scenes together with the Czech cinematographer and one of the characters of the film at the same time, Karel Pícha.
A significant element of the film will be the depiction of protagonists joining the civil defense training that is beginning to form in Taiwan as a defence against potential conflict. The training of the civilian becomes a parallel narrative where the protagonists bring in the physical dimensions of their personalities alongside playing a strategic board game 2045 simulating annexation of Taiwan. This film is not only a personal testimony, but also a warning of the threat of loss of independence.
The Island of Freedom is a portrait of contemporary Taiwan, an island with a troubled history and an uncertain future, under the constant threat of invasion from China. Drawing on the personal stories and artistic work of the protagonists - from writers to activists and political illustrators - the film creates a powerful and layered mosaic of human destinies as they struggle to preserve identity and freedom amid geopolitical tensions.
The film combines elements of political documentary, artistic and almost intimate testimony. The subject is approached from different perspectives - Taiwanese and foreign. This multicultural range of protagonists, including Ukrainian activist Alex Khomenko, Czech cinematographer Karel Pícha, Hongkongese political artist Kacey Wong, Taiwanese political cartoonist Stellina Chen and a dystopian writer Chu Yu-hsun connects the Taiwanese situation with global issues of political unfreedom and oppression, creating a bridge between the audience and the film's subjects, captured from the point of view of the director who comes from the Czech Republic and bring her perspective and will be present behind the scenes together with the Czech cinematographer and one of the characters of the film at the same time, Karel Pícha.
A significant element of the film will be the depiction of protagonists joining the civil defense training that is beginning to form in Taiwan as a defence against potential conflict. The training of the civilian becomes a parallel narrative where the protagonists bring in the physical dimensions of their personalities alongside playing a strategic board game 2045 simulating annexation of Taiwan. This film is not only a personal testimony, but also a warning of the threat of loss of independence.