This is Catta and Yihan. We are activists from Taiwan. In the past few years, we have participated in several campaigns and movements, mostly in labor rights, aboriginal rights and land issue. We were in Crowtopia that we try to promote real democracy in our education system, especially in high schools. We are the High-tech Cold-blooded Youth that we are against the great exploitation in technology manufacturing industry. We joined Fair Trade Taiwan Association because we understand fair trade is more sustainable than simply providing aid to the exploited people. We are in Anti-Eviction Action Group because we cannot stand that there are so many people and households being evicted due to the huge profit from development plans.
We are involved in many different groups and we know our society need more change. And most important of all, we want to be the trigger of the change.
Previously in 2011 and 2012, we initiated an International Labor Film Festival in Taiwan. With the help from Canadian International Labor Film Festival group, we translated several fantastic labor films and had numerous screenings in several cities in Taiwan. After watching the great films, we found there are still a lot need to be improved in Taiwan, and we need more stories and experiences sharing. During the festival, we also received numerous positive feedback from individuals, NGOs, and universities. This makes us understand that we need more people and more useful resources as tools to make a better world.
We found out that films and documentaries are great materials. It can provide an overall view of an issue. It is also soft and organic that can reach people easily and spread the message it conveys. Besides longer films, we also found several interesting short clips such as Neoliberalism as Water Balloon and The Curious Case of Missing Recovery are great educational materials. We want to bring more stories and information back into Taiwan in order to trigger more possibilities and thoughts.
This is why we establish the TransMovement Studio.
This is why we establish the TransMovement Studio.
With the previous experience of film festival and the great network among activists in Taiwan, we are proud and confident that we can be a great platform to provide inspiring materials and promote your film. Besides reproducing film and promote issues, we also dedicate part of our profit into support of social movements in Taiwan.
So this is TransMovement Studio. A Studio involves translating and importing in order to bring all kinds of useful resources back to Taiwan and promote fair trade, love, equality, social justice, no nuke, worker rights, environmental protection and all.
We import. We translate. We reproduce. We promote issues. We bring in fresh water into activists groups and our society. We try to inspire our people and our society.
Please feel free to contact Catta catta@transmovement.com for further info.
Yihan Jiang
Education
2007-2011 Bachelor of Sociology, Fu Jen Catholic University
Experience
Taiwanese Coordinator of LaborStart
Experience
Taiwanese Coordinator of LaborStart
Organizer of 2011/2012 Taiwan International Labor Film Festival
Organizer for 2011 International makeITfair Action Day
Current Position
Director of TransMovement Studio
film reproducing, website development, film promotion program initiation
film reproducing, website development, film promotion program initiation
Member of High-tech Cold-blooded Youth
Director of Fair Trade Taiwan Association
Member of Anti-Eviction Action Group
Past Position
President of Black Ditch Club
President of Crowtopia
There is always a huge anxiety among student activists when facing graduation. Will we survive if we still want to stick to campaigns, pickets and movements? How can we manage to make ends meet when the working condition is so vicious and we really want to be "active"? How will people think about we "abnormal people"? It is inevitable that we have to figure out how to survive. A lot of activists struggle in the tug of war between bread winning and be the change.
We have skills and we have supports from the activists community. So we decided to try something different. Something activists have never tried before.
Catta Yu-Hsuan Chou
Education
2007-2011 Bachelor of English Language and Literature, Fu Jen Catholic University
2011- Master of Interpreting and Translating, Fu Jen Catholic University
Translating & Interpreting Experience
Taiwanese Coordinator of LaborStart
Interpreter for Netherlands guests at Tsuei Ma-Ma Foundation For Housing And Community Services (2012)
Interpreter at International Workshop on An-Kang Public Housing (2012)
Translating Documents for International Workshop on An-Kang Public Housing (2012)
Interpreter at 2012 Student Activist Action Conference
Translator and organizer of 2011/2012 Taiwan International Labor Film Festival
Translator and organizer for 2011 International makeITfair Action Day
Current Position
Director of TransMovement Studio
film director coordination, film translating
film director coordination, film translating
Director of Youth Labor Union 95
Member of High-tech Cold-blooded Youth
Director of Fair Trade Taiwan Association
Member of Anti-Eviction Action Group
Past Position
Member of Black Ditch Club
Member of Crowtopia
From Student activist to story telling
In 2007, I finally get into a private university in New Taipei City. As if I finally reach the end of credentialism, I finally got some space and time to think about myself, my life and my future. However, it seems that after so many years of cramming, I already forgot how to think.
After weeks of wandering, I joined Black Ditch Club, hoping that through club activities I can get some idea about my life and the society I'm in. And I did.
We had numerous activities and speeches that reveal the bloody truth about this world: education is more about brainwashing kids with enslaving thoughts. Urban development is more about evicting poor people and making huge profit. Employment is more about exploiting people and making money. Intellectual property laws is more about enhancing the great monopolized society. Media is more or less controlled by government or corporations. Globalization is more about political games and profit rather than bringing happiness to people...
It seems that the truth about our world is too cruel for us to look at. But this is something we need to face.
As an activist, we found we know how to campaign, we know a lot about political correct, we know how to organize, and we know how to put pressure on our government. But we forgot that there is always a story behind each person. And these stories can be very touching and powerful.
