與那國島，位於琉球列島八重山群島西端，日本最西的島嶼，緊鄰我的國家台灣。某天，島民決定獨立，然後跟台灣建交。這兩個島嶼命運相似，地處世界邊陲，各是日本和中國的政治獵物，「存在」對它們來說都是沉重負擔。我像觀光客來到與那國島，卻在「異國」發現自己，發現原來無論是人、土地、生命，都是被全世界遺棄後才「存在」。

 

Yonaguni is an island on the far western end of Japan, just 100 kilometers from Taiwan, the director’s land of birth. The documentary focuses on a group of Yonaguni residents who decide they want the island to declare independence and establish relations with Taiwan. As two islands, Yonaguni and Taiwan share a kinship, with one politically beholden to Japan and the other to China. As the director writes of the residents: "Existence to them is a heavy burden...I realized that whether it's people, land or life, you only exist after you have been forgotten by the world."

 

★2015 台北電影節

★2016 台灣國際紀錄片影展