Invisible Nation
Vanessa Hope / United States & Taiwan / 2023 / 85 min
With unrestricted access to Taiwan's current president, we follow the tenure of Tsai Ing-wen, the country's first female head of state, during a time of great political tension between East and West. A competent and charismatic defender of democracy.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Chinese takeover of Hong Kong, Taiwan has once again become a major political hotspot. It’s not only the country’s own citizens and government that increasingly fear an invasion from China – so does the rest of the world. What is it like to be the president of the Asian archipelago and its almost 25 million inhabitants in this situation? ‘Invisible Nation’ provides an answer with a fascinating portrait of the country’s first female president, the progressive Tsai Ing-wen. She is elected for a second term as a clear signal to China, which does not recognise the country’s independence. Tsai Ing-wen skilfully navigates the geopolitical forces of the US and China, while interviews and archival footage provide context to the current situation, which is more urgent than ever.