Invisible Nation

A fascinating portrait of Taiwan and its first female president Tsai Ing-wen. The country increasingly fears invasion by China, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong. The camera is able to get remarkably close to the president in her struggle to preserve Taiwan’s hard-won democracy, a balancing act between the geopolitical forces of the US and China, which does not recognize the country’s existence as such.

The film shows how the progressive President Tsai is elected for a second term, in a clear signal to China. Her story is interspersed with interviews with historians from home and abroad, activists and academics, who provide a fascinating analysis of circumstances on the surprisingly liberal island. Various Taiwanese people also talk about what it was like to grow up with the idea that their culture was forbidden.

Archive footage and TV news excerpts illustrate the long history of this constantly colonized island and provide context for the current political situation, which appears to be becoming increasingly urgent and perilous.