The strait between us

During the pandemic time, a Taiwanese filmmaker living abroad wanted to write a visual letter to her father, who lives in her hometown. Through this letter, she crawled through her opposing political positions and the origins of their conflict.

  • Yun-Tien Chu
    Director
  • Yun-Tien Chu
    Writer
  • Ellen Van Dijck
    Writer
  • Yun-Tien Chu
    Producer
  • Nathaniël Van Ouytsel
    Cinematography
  • Hugo Simons
    Sound
  • Gizem Koo
    Sound
  • David Du Bois
    Sound
  • Appoline Damor
    Editing
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    給爸爸的信
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    17 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 31, 2021
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Belgium, Taiwan
  • Language:
    Dutch, French, Mandarin Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 8mm, V-8
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - RITCS
  • Mriya International Film Festival
    Brussels
    Belgium
    July 9, 2023
  • Screwdriver International Student Short Film Festival
    Tainan
    Taiwan
    May 16, 2023
  • Obskuur Ghent Film Festival
    Ghent
    Belgium
    October 2, 2023
  • Cinemaximiliaan
    Brussels
    Belgium
    October 7, 2023
Director Biography - Yun-Tien Chu

Yun-tien Chu was born in Taiwan and is currently residing in Brussels. She studied film history at Paris 1 University in France and documentary film at RITCS in Belgium.
Before moving to Europe Yun-tien worked as a production assistant in Taiwan, among others for director Tsai Ming-Liang. 
In 2016 she made the video installation 'My home is on the other side’ about the many stages and aspects of settling in a new country. With the short films 'The strait between us' (2021) and 'Intimes' (2022) Yun-tien continued to treat subjects like migration, the sense of belonging, loneliness and isolation. Her own experience serve as a starting point and allow her to meet people with similar stories to hers.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

A letter is somehow a special medium. On paper, it seems easier to express and share deep feelings than when trying to discuss them face to face, especially from behind a screen.
This project’s idea stems from my previous video installation work ‘My home is on the other side’ (2016), that dealt with the situation of living between two continents and cultures. This time I would like to concentrate on the distance between my father and me. In Asian, many people don’t know how to deal with a family members’ different political stand. We usually avoid the issue. People say peace is always better. Through the medium of a visual letter, I want to explore this intimate universe that we are not used to showing directly.