Breaking Ice

Documentary / 34’57’’ / 2013 / Taiwan / HD / Color / English Subtitles
2013, Children's Jury Prize-1st Prize, Documentary Category, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, USA
2013, Best Young Audience Short Award, Eugene International Film Festival, USA
2013, Highly Commended Award, Best Children’s Program Category, Asian Television Awards, Singapore
2014, Finalist, Documentaries, 20^th Festival International des Cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul, France
2014, Finalist, Shorts Competition, 7^th Chinese Documentary Festival, Hong Kong

How can an eight-year-old child come to understand the feelings of her family in one short visit?

Born in Taiwan, Tongtong has never seen snow. Her mother comes from Inner Mongolia, China, where it is minus 40 degrees. This winter, the mother decides to take Tongtong back to her hometown to visit her ailing grandmother. In this distant frozen land, Tongtong sees fish that freeze almost the moment they are caught and mountains covered with endless snow. She also enjoys the company of her loving grandparents. But the most unforgettable part of this short week is that she sees a different mother, a mother who smiles more but also cries more.

Over the past 20 years, over 300,000 women from other Asian countries have settled in Taiwan and married Taiwanese men. Their children, dubbed “new Taiwanese children,” account for 10% of all children born here. This documentary aims to bring the audience to understand the emotions and situation of such women through the eyes of a child. In addition, through Tongtong's journey from the south to the north, it also documents how a new Taiwanese child deals with her cultural identity. Most important of all, it's a documentary that shows the loving connection between family members, regardless of the boundary of distance.

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About Public Television Service Foundation

Founded in 1998, Public Television Service (PTS) is the leading public service broadcaster in Taiwan. Operated as an independent public organization, PTS aims to provide value-added quality programming services covering a wide range of categories to present the diversity and creativity in Taiwan without the intervention of commercial and political power.