Taiwan, chronicle of a threatened democracy

Through the portraits of three parliamentary candidates, examining day by day the vitality of a democracy trying to survive in the face of an increasingly authoritarian China in a game of international geopolitics which denies it a place, the film is an unprecedented foray into Taiwanese politics, telling us about local democracy in everyday life. "For a long time, the Chinese question, although it was omnipresent like the sword of Damocles, did not really interfere with the daily life of the Taiwanese: the status quo in the Taiwan Strait seemed immortal. Various events have contributed towards turning the latent threat into a real one ... My documentary is set in a rich, complex context, full of history, memories, fights and hopes. I want to chronicle the demo- cracy of Taiwan, as long as it still exists, from the inside, to make the life, feelings and thoughts that guide the resolutions of local politicians in the face of this looming threat seen and heard. My intention is to put the idea of freedom at the heart of the development of this documentary; it is representative of Taiwan democracy, true to the atmosphere that you can feel in everyday life on the island." J.-R. Thomann