I filmed who I saw, and I saw what I filmed

I did not have a degree in media studies or cinematography – I studied engineering at university! I became interested in filmmaking after my brother introduced me to this fascinating world at the small studio he owns. I quit my daily job and worked at my brother’s studio. By sheer chance I met Director Tsai Shun-jou of Hao Hao Women’s Rights Development Association when she visited us at the studio.

Back then, she had been hatching the idea of documenting those Southeast Asian women farmers for a while. By running Hao Hao in Pingtung for a long time, she has seen Southeast Asian women moving in as newly wedded wives, settling down as young mothers, adopting this agricultural town as their home, and picking up farming as a livelihood. Some of them did this with their husband; others replaced their husband due to the husband’s illness. She knew they would encountered many issues, some of which were common amongst small tenant farmers in Pingtung, but others were unique to them. She wanted to help. She said she could write about their experiences, but she knew that presenting their experiences as a film would communicate better with the public.

She explained her ideas to us, and we agreed to take them up. We proposed to make short films that would allow us to focus on each of these issues in a short space of time. We thought this would drive home the message more effectively and she approved our proposal.

My filming began with my fieldwork in Pingtung. I was introduced to these women farmers by Director Tsai. She made sure that she was with me when presenting me for the first time to their families. Like everyone else, I called older women farmers ‘elder sister,’ but there were also some younger farmers who were my contemporaries. These initial meetings were crucial. After all, I am a man, an outsider to their community, and an intruding observer of their daily life. Director Tsai’s introduction smoothed out the initial uneasiness between me, them and their families.

My fieldwork began by simply chatting with them, but I was consciously avoiding touching upon issues too personal or too private. My job was to document the challenges of their livelihood, and we hoped this would lead us to propose solutions. The farmers enjoyed our casual chats as they shared whatever they wanted with me. The theme of labour shortage jumped out immediately in those casual discussions. It is so obvious; everyone can see it in these villages. However, I was hoping to find more specific issues that could be the focus of my micro documentaries. I listened carefully and sometimes, a couple of casual words could become the theme of our films.

For example, most farmers would consider farming a difficult job because it does not generate a reliable income. Most farmers have to do part-time jobs on top of tending their farms, to make ends meet. However, the mango farmer sisters truly love their work. Do not get me wrong, I do not mean that they see things romantically. They are like other farmers who also do two or three jobs to pay the bills. But they love their mangos and the younger sister continued to work in their orchard even when she was heavily pregnant. There is a lot of sadness about their life, but this does not mean that they don’t enjoy seeing their mangos grow and become sweet juicy fruits enjoyed by their customers. If they are content with their life, I show that, too. Their satisfaction with life has deeply touched me. What I could do is to show their hard work in order to underline the common problem of farming: it is not a reliable source of income for a family. Nevertheless, they are in charge of their farm; their mango orchard is an Eden for them.

These farmers were so generous with me and they taught me so many things about their work! I did not see this project as a one-off encounter; it’s not just a business to me. The film may be completed but my relationships with these farmers have continued. Before I started this project, I was like most people in Taiwan, who would see them from the perspective given to us by mass media. It was not because I believed in what the media or my friends told me; it’s simply because I had no other sources of information to verify them. I was like most people who would call them ‘foreign brides’ without realising this might be a derogatory label. I honestly did not know and the derogatory connotations simply didn’t register in my mind. I, like many, used such and other labels without thinking too much. After this project, my mind opened and I see things differently now. I know labelling usually comes with stigmatisation.

After filming them, I know that most small-scale family farmers are not covered by farmer insurance. I know they have been suffering from a severe labour shortage; using ‘student farmers’ does not help because ‘student farmers’ cannot bear the hard labour required for farm work. On the other hand, these farmers are also women who are disadvantaged by their foreignness. Farming is challenging; being foreign makes it even more challenging for them. So what can I do? Is there a way for me to make a difference in these problems? I sought advice from Director Tsai. She told me, ‘You do whatever you can do; we are a small screw in a big machine. If each of us does our job well, the machine will run smoothly.’ I hope I have done that. I hope my films can raise public awareness about the difficulties encountered by these farmers in rural villages. I hope showing their stories can motivate decision-makers to make changes to their lives.