Private Project

Eagle Hand

My hometown, Niutoushan, Chiayi, used to abound with lotus roots in the 1980s, able to bulk export to Japan and Hong Kong. For the villagers, digging for lotus roots equaled digging for gold.
But the prosperous era has lost to history, the population has plunged from more than 100 households to only 27.
The very few who are unwilling to break their connection to land insist on growing lotus roots and self-worth thereof. For the elders, their value is carried in their “eagle hands,” a mark of their lifelong hard work. As for the youth who choose to stay even though most of their peers turn to seek work in the city, they discover their merit along this journey features ups and downs, and the inevitable stagnation of traditional industry, the farmers persevere and continue to dig out their long-lost cultural values with their “eagle hands”.

  • Li Chun Lai
    Director
    The Immortal's Play
  • Li Chun Lai
    Writer
    The Immortal's Play
  • Jia Ru Peng
    Producer
    The Immortal's Play
  • Jia Ru Peng
    Cinematography
    The Immortal's Play
  • Giong Lim
    Soundtrack
    The Assassin ( 68th PRIX DU JURY CANNES SOUNDTRACK AWARD )
  • EYE SEA STDIO
    Present
    The Immortal's Play
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 41 minutes 4 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 18, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    40,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese - Min Nan
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Taiwan Premiere

    Taiwan
    October 17, 2020
    Taiwan Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Sky Digi Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Distributor
    Country: Taiwan
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Li Chun Lai

The Taipei-based nomad from the village of Niutoushan, Chiayi, cares for the contemporary issues of the changing countryside and new immigrants. To quench her two-decade-long homesickness, Lai returned home to film The Immortal’s Play with Peng Jia-Ru and received a Golden Harvest Award. In 2017, she continued with the second piece of her Chiayi trilogy, Eagle Hands, hoping to complete the series before her age does not allow her to.

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Director Statement

My hometown, Niutoushan, is an agriculture-based village, but as I grew older, my father told me, “Pens are better than hoes.” Since farmer is a laborious, low-paying occupation, I, among most village youth, moved to the city for better opportunities.
Gradually, Niutoushan is left with an aged population. Moreover, due to global economic shocks to agriculture, our traditional industry is withering. Even so, few young people follow the “eagle hands” and dig out the values of Niutoushan once again. With little contribution to our hometown, I hope to at least document these stories while retrieving my fading connection to land.