Private Project

Upstream

Guo Wen-han, Mayor of Wanhe City, was seeking re-election but being kidnapped a few days before polling day by a young man from the North Bank, a poor and seriously polluted area of the city. It was a scheme plotted by a local petrochemical enterprise, hoping to ensure Guo’s victory in the election so that their expansion application could be approved afterward. However, this false kidnap turns to be a real one after the plot went astray and everything was out of control….

  • David Chuang
    Director
  • Hen Chi-Chieh
    Writer
  • Arthur Wu
    Writer
  • David Chuang
    Writer
  • Estela Valdivieso Chen
    Producer
  • Han Chang
    Key Cast
  • Ray Chang
    Key Cast
  • Lo Pei-An
    Key Cast
  • King Jieh-Wen
    Key Cast
  • Chen Chi-Wen
    Photography
  • Chen Hsuan Shao
    Art Designer
  • Thomas Foguenne
    Music
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Crime, Social justice, Fiction, Mystery
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 22, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    120,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Asian Film Festival of Dallas
    Dallas
    United States
    North American Premiere
Director Biography - David Chuang

Born in 1983 and emigrating to Canada at the age of 16, David Chuang received his film education in the Vancouver Film School, where he was inspired by the American genre film and inclined to apply strong visual elements in depicting blurred boundary between good and evil in his pieces. After graduation, he returned to Taiwan and received his M.A. degree of directing at the Institute of Department of Filmmaking at Taipei National University of the Arts.

2016 “The Heat That I Remember” (Micro Film of Coway)
2014 “Revenge” (Short film, Kaohsiung Film Festival)
2014 “The Iron Concorde”
2012 “Goodbye” (Short film)
2012 “Tunnel”

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

During a location-scouting trip to a village in the middle of Taiwan, I met an old lady who works as a shepherd. Upon seeing huge smoke discharged from the giant chimneys just across the river, I posed a question to her: “Why don’t you move to other place?” “Do you think we can afford it? And how about this land after we leave?” she replied. “Besides,” she added, “we will bring nothing but heavier financial burden to our children if we move to live with them in big cities. We all die sooner or later, so just let it be...” It was the very first time I deeply felt the desperation of residents living next to petrochemical plants.

We are living in a society ruled by law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. Those of ninety-nine percent of underprivileged people are forced to sacrifice themselves for one-percent-powerful-vested-interests. When writing this script, I did attempt but failed to find a solution to this dire situation. It seems that there is no way out. I tried to write a happy ending that justice finally prevails, but it was unconvincing to me at all. It was until the moment that I realized I was very pessimistic in this regard, same as the shepherd lady.

What I could do, though, was to somewhat help the main characters in the story find hope and redemption, and to remind all of the jungle dwellers not to forget about giving a helping hand to “the Northsiders,” — i.e. the deprived ones who are more in need than you and me.