Private Project

The Journey With Invisible Friends

It's 2016, and director Mitch is about to make a documentary about the nature of karma and causality, curious to explore these mysteries with the help of "channels" who can relay messages from gods and spirits. On the first day of shooting, to his surprise, Mitch learns that the gods are contacting him through the channels: they want Mitch to resolve some karmic issues in his family and to do something to help the victims of the earthquake in Taiwan earlier that year in order for him to earn the right to tell this story.

On that day, Mitch embarks on an “invisible journey”, meeting channels and shamanic healers, and undergoing challenges, including one with 17th century Chinese sea hero Koxinga who expelled the Dutch colonizers from Taiwan and is now revered as a god. Koxinga reveals a startling secret and then gives Mitch and his crew a difficult mission: to seek out the Siraya, an aboriginal tribe who arehistorical occupants of an ancient battleground, and to work hand-in-hand with themto heal the memory of this woundedfield...

  • Mitch Lin
    Director
  • Gary Tseng
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 57 minutes 21 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    330,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Mitch Lin

Mitch Lin was born in Kaohsiung in1970.
He majored in philosophyat National Taiwan University, and then studied screenwriting at the Drama Instituteof Taipei National University of the Arts.
He has been a lecturer in theDepartment of Chinese Literature atChinese Culture Universityand wasEditor-in-Chief for the Chinese edition ofMen’s Healthmagazine.
Lin has written a novel titledWall Clock, Lamb, and Father.
He has also written the screenplays The Killer Who Never Kills and David Loman(as co-writer).
A Journey with Invisible Friendsis the first documentary feature that Lin has directed.

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Director Statement

There are two kinds of “Invisible Friends” in this film:

The first are beings who dwell in an invisible world that cannot be detected with our naked eyes, or even with the most advanced scientific methods. And yet even though we cannot see them, we can get to know them through the medium of channels, and they leave hints that give us much to reflect on.

Second, over the past two years of shooting, I have discovered many "invisible corners"where people are silently contributingand making offerings for the well-being of this piece of earth we call Taiwan. I do not see them on the news, for these nameless heroes never think about media coverage. They simply follow their own genuine desire to "make things right by doing the right things". This kind of selfless spirit never fails to move me.

After wrapping up this film, it dawned on me that“A Journey with Invisible Friends”was just a key, a passwordto cross over into a new world. If you are curious, too, then join us, for the real journey is just starting...