It follows It passes on

Erica Sheu / Taiwan, United States / 2023 / European Premiere / 5 min.

synopsis

Memories of family members and the stories and tales that nourished us in childhood often become part of our own memory. Erica Sheu dives to their inner depths to touch on the experiences of those who lived on Taiwan's Kinmen archipelago during and just after the war. She is guided by the flickering light of incense, which those seeking shelter used to light their way during the war, and the few scraps and grains that she has given the role of witnesses.

“A wound gives off its own light
surgeons say.
If all the lamps in the house were turned out
you could dress this wound
by what shines from it.”
— Anne Carson (The Beauty of the Husband, I.1-5)

biography

Erica Sheu (born 1993) grew up in Taiwan and moved to the US in 2016 to study film and video production at CalArts. She often explores national and personal memory and creates intimate, diary-format experimental films. She is also the creator of several installations and live film performances. Her short films include Transcript (2019) and Grandma's Scissors (2021).