Still Here (還在) | Award-Winning Sundance Documentary Short Film

In Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a few residents refuse to leave their now-abandoned village.
A selection of Short of the Week, the web's leading curators of quality short films.
SUBMIT A FILM: www.shortoftheweek.com/submit/
FULL REVIEW: www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/0...
Subscribe to S/W on KZbin!
Website: www.shortoftheweek.com
Instagram: / shortoftheweek
Facebook: / shortoftheweek
Twitter: / shortoftheweek
Still Here
Directed by Sean Wang
www.seanwangfilm.com/
"What makes a house a home? For me, it’s the things inside it that shape our memories and, as is often the case, it’s the ones which are long gone that I cherish and miss the most. Like the ugly shelving unit in my childhood bedroom, which our dog managed to climb once to get to a tub of Nutella, the mermaids I drew on the flowery wallpaper near my pillow, or the kitsch figurines my grandparents had collected on their travels, that I would examine for hours.
Sean Wang (3,000 Miles) also felt compelled to revisit his roots in his tenderly observed and deeply personal documentary short Still Here. Shot in a remote village in Taiwan, the nine-minute film uses compositional brilliance to paint a compelling portrait of the fragility of our physical homes, and exudes compassionate intimacy for both the individuals who appear in it and the spaces around them. The result both breaks and warms the heart.
In a village in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, there are just 6 residents left. Refusing to move away from their beloved, but now almost entirely abandoned village, around them, what were once homes which housed happy and thriving families, are now empty structures, slowly crumbling to dust. Still Here pays homage to the past by turning each scene into a cinematic work of art, hanging in its 4:3 frame. The emptiness it depicts is haunting but the characters ground the mood with their positive attitudes and persuasive charm.
“Still Here was filmed in the village where my grandmother lived, my mother grew up, and where I spent my childhood summers”, Wang explains to S/W as we discuss the motivation behind his short. “Nine years ago, my grandmother moved out of the village. Recently, I discovered that not only did nobody move into my grandmother’s house after she left, but that the entire village had been displaced and decayed for years, except for a few residents who refused to leave. I was curious to find out what their lives were like now that the village was abandoned - and why they decided to stay”.
Still Here brought back so many bittersweet memories, since I too spent many happy summers in my own grandparents’ village as a child. The early ones of my family around the fire, or collecting apples in the heat, of laughter, singing and the neighbour’s dogs barking in the distance, were soon replaced by the sight of empty streets and the sour smell of an unloved house. A feeling that will be familiar for many around the world.
Sean Wang performs a powerful balancing act by weighing the heavy emptiness of the abandoned houses, against the abundance of life in the characters he interviews. With their fascinating stories, impressive collections of knick-knacks and wool sweaters, and their stubborn refusal to be brought down by the sadness spreading around them, the residents of Kaohsiung are impossible not to love. Their spirits lift the otherwise achingly somber documentary, just like they bring life into the otherwise entirely dead village, making us smile while holding back the tears." - S/W Curator Serafima Serafimova
Director / Editor: Sean Wang
Producers: Cynthia Lee, Pamela Li, Sean Wang
Cinematographer: Zach Stoltzfus
Composer: Breton Vivian
Production & Post-Production Sound: Michael O' Connor
Colorist: Kinan Chabani
Reproduced on this channel with the permission of the filmmakers.

[@flochfitness]

I came here to learn from the best short films as I new to documentary filming. Here are my takeaways: 1. There is very little "fat" in this film. There is no unneceassary shots. No unnecessary sounds. Bare bones. Everything has a purpose. 2. It's simple. The simplicity of the filming enhaces the foundation of the film. Nothing over complex. Nothing fancy. Just simple 3. In the beginning, my biggest question was, "Why is this town abandoned. I wonder if that will be revealed?" By the end, I started to care a lot less, and just enjoyed the soul of this story: Who are the people who stick around a town that becomes abandoned? What is their why? Who are they? Brilliant work. I learned a lot!

[@punpun9972]

So serene and masterfully crafted. A great reminder that you don't need the flashiest subject to make a moving film.

[@danialopez4322]

Vine por la recomendación de Daniela Montaguth, está increíble ❤

[@jiajiawu9375]

Wonderful piece. A forgotten town contains memories of people who have been living there for entire life. They won’t leave because it is everything to them. I found out every time after the elders finished their words, their eyes were seems like keep telling stories. I was really enjoying it.

[@NidhinMohammad96]

This short is so perfect. It somehow easily evokes the moods from movies like A Brighter Summer Day. I love this so much.

[@GavinusMaximusMaster]

The Taiwanese flag at the end says it all. What a great build and lovely folks.

[@luiscavalcanti3431]

One of the best and breathtaking shot composition ever..... It’s not necessary to figure out why ppl moved specially based on Asian culture, but it is really bloodcurdling seeing how memories can be lost so easily along the way 😞😔

[@emiliobello2538]

Hope it gets the Oscar for Best Live Action Short

[@emthegem8141]

Love this, cinematography and shots are breathtaking!

[@ReadByTiffany]

this was beautiful! thank you for making it

[@anne-mariegagnon97]

This truely moved me. Beautiful ❤️

[@maggienguyen3361]

gosh i loved every second of this short film- i hope the residents are still doing well today

[@ariasijiali1689]

Saw another documentary filmmaker share their notes, so here's mine: - This doc tells a simple story of people who don’t want to leave their homes, even after all their neighbors have been displaced - At the end, emphasize on the theme of “Home”- what home means, how important it is, and it’s sentimental value - The editing mostly cut to B-roll, with a few key moments of the interview remaining. When the interviewees talked, we kept seeing different B-Roll - The editing was really nice and bled into each other - Music was a very very important part of the movie. - The structure was 4 interviewees, their stories weaving into each other and then coming together on the theme at the end. - Some “group scenes” at the end for the "happy/climactic ending"

[@Ady.B]

can't wait to see more from Sean Wang. This film was beautiful

[@mynahlu977]

第一個阿嬤的口音和新加坡老華校生的口音幾乎一模一樣！聽起來好親切❤

[@en_pei_ge]

What a beautiful film!

[@the.hot.button]

wonderful work!

[@global_nomad.]

wonderful, so full of melancholy and yet so full of life

[@jadedmonk7001]

Summed up beautifully😊

[@marinadourgham1140]

Love it 😍😍😍

[@chawla7407]

Always good and entertaining movies ......❤️❤️

[@arjovenzia]

defiantly made me think on the concept of "home". my folks have long since separated, there is no house to go back to. places to stay, but not home. I'd quite like a place with bones in the ground... I shall have to bring that up. Good film, Thank you.

[@EkPahadi]

Beautiful ❤and so emotional, great work. but Why people leave from here?

[@thelotuspad]

Knitting for lack of something else to do😮 Knitting is always my first choice of something to do😄 knit one, purl two, yarn over, pull through... calms the mind, fosters tranquility🙏 Somebody help that woman open an etsy shop so she can sell her beautiful sweaters🙌

[@BARAKABLESSING]

I agree with you!

[@lachlansullivan-carey4293]

Would love to know what this was filmed on

[@Maheshhhhhh]

😍

[@mcbluematter]

The woman at 3:40 has such a bright smile

[@donjohnson4368]

What was the premise of this story? Where is this village

[@itsm3._]

😢😢😢

[@RechtmanDon]

Great movie! I did notice though, they're speaking Mandarin and not Taiwanese or Cantonese. I'd be interested if someone can suggest why that might be.

[@azaleatsou2468]

I'm Taiwanese - people don't speak Cantonese in Taiwan. Elders and some younger people may speak Taiwanese, but it's relatively dying out (sadly). I'm assuming that the filmmaker doesn't speak Taiwanese; hence the Mandarin.

[@ForAnUnbrokenDuchess]

I lived and worked there for eight years - Mandarin is the official language of Taiwan. What's called "Taiwanese" is actually just a variation of the Fujian dialect, and practically no one in Taiwan speaks Cantonese.

[@mynahlu977]

They are inhabitants of a dependents’ village. These villages were built by the KMT for the troops and their dependents who retreated from mainland China after being defeated by the communists in 1949. Unlike the Minnan (aka. Taiwanese) speakers who had immigrated from Fujian or neighbouring southern provinces several centuries ago, inhabitants of these dependents’ villages were from various parts of China and mostly spoke Mandarin or their original regional dialects. From what I understand, there are some native Cantonese speakers living in these villages, but I guess being the minority, plus the aggressive promotion of Mandarin as the lingua franca during the Chiang Kai Shek era, most Cantonese speakers and their descendants would have assimilated and would use Mandarin. 😊

[@ailings]

omg

[@nirmaltamang6319]

😖🥶🥺

[@rubenloup]

AAAAAAAAAA

[@amybowen5800]

That's it? Short of the week my ass!

[@giselaafonso]

"The word Home is so important." 🥲