Private Project

The Rookie Chief in Duke Hill

When a rebellious young man full of progressive political ideals wins the election and becomes a village chief, in face of the conservative political status quo, will he change this trend or be changed?

In nine-in-one elections in November 2018, the conservative force led by KMT wins by a landslide, but in Duke Hill, a young man from Sunflower Movement just becomes a village chief.

Like many of his generation, Guo Shu-cheng’s enthusiasm for politics is ignited after the movement; through protests and from the experience of the Students' Union, he gradually paves his way to the political arena. However, other than repairing street lamps and disposing of garbage, a village chief’s main job is to serve the residents for all kinds of issues, big and small.

Should they cook the glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival on the spot? Should they give away lanterns? How many rice dumplings should they order for Dragon Boat Festival? What if people can’t finish them? Occupied with these trivial matters, it is difficult for Guo to think about the big picture of the state.

The life of this 25-year-old young man is full of conflicts and unknowns. Will Guo Shu-cheng compromise due to the pressure of reality? Or will he stick to his ideals and change the world?

  • Yen Hao Chen
    Director
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    34 minutes 9 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Yen Hao Chen

BA, Department of Radio and Television, National Chengchi University.
MA, Department of Filmmaking, Taipei National University of the Arts

Chen got his B.A. degree from Department of Radio and Television, National Chengchi University and M.A. degree from Department of Filmmaking, Taipei National University of the Arts. He now owns an independent production house and works as a director. He teams up with 1 Production and is a screenwriter for numerous dramas and series. His works include both fiction and documentaries, and he’s good at observing humanity through the lens of humor.

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Director Statement

Everyone hopes that politics can be transparent and offer people hope, and politics is the way to change the future. But more often than not, your hands are tight, and it’s a game of the rich.

At first, I treated it as an irony and wanted to make a political farce, but it was no laughing matter after what I saw in real life.

This film depicts only a small part of Guo Shu-cheng’s life.

I’ve been concerned about the sorry and tragic image of the protagonist would get in the way of his political career; he’s already giving all he got. But the reality is like a sheet of metal, I wonder what he should do to make small impacts and dents.