19. November 14, 2023
INVISIBLE NATION international premiere. China, Taiwan. Russia, Ukraine. Israel, Palestine. The horrors of wars not prevented mounting with no end in sight! Life goes on.
I’ve taken an intentional pause in writing since October with the brutal war in Gaza adding to the ongoing war in Ukraine, flooding us in a sea of blood and horror, pain and fury at our powerlessness as an international community and the utter sadism and incompetence of the world’s “leaders” who are at the center of it all in front of and behind the scenes. There is so much more going on behind the scenes in geopolitics than most people are reading or thinking about when they attack each other in attempts to convince each other of what is right or wrong and who is to blame and why. That knowledge is what we need to hold world leaders accountable and stop them manipulating violent conflict for political and financial gain so it is very much by their dictatorial design that it is as hard as it is to know the truths that would set us all free. New thinking, new fora for international truth and reconciliation, new ways of seeing those who have felt and been treated as if they are invisible and have no nation, no land, no hope for a future on this planet is needed now more than ever.
At the same time, INVISIBLE NATION has been on the film festival circuit and traveled across the U.S. twice to six film festivals, winning an audience award along the way. I am indebted to all of the festival programmers and audiences and my team in Taiwan and the U.S. who showed up and supported us. The stories of where we’ve been screening, how we’ve been doing and where we’re going next are on our film’s Instagram @invisiblenationtw. After Ted and I missed three of our festivals because we got COVID, I was invited back to screen the film and speak at Stanford University (near where we had played at the Mill Valley Film Festival) and the University of Washington (after we’d played at the Seattle International Film Festival). Both showings packed in multiple hundreds of audience members who wanted to continue discussing the film and sharing their experiences of crying and feeling seen until the lights were being turned off at each venue to signal we had to leave. It’s been extremely moving and meaningful to be on the road with this story at this time.
We arrived in Amsterdam for our international premiere at IDFA with this news:
Variety, By Nick Vivarelli, November 13, 2023
I’m so thankful for the interview and industry attention. I’ve just returned from our press and industry screening at IDFA and it was completely full!
The story behind our INVISIBLE NATION white paper poster:
This is our Taiwanese Dutch team member, Executive Producer, Mike Veldstra who flew into Amsterdam from Taipei, printed our poster, and took the train with one of our cinematographers, Michael Geier, also in from Taiwan, to deliver it to our theatrical venues.
At the top of this post is one of our new posters. Can you see it?
Why is it invisible?
When in a Q&A two weeks ago with Kharis Templeman, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the manager of the Project on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region at Stanford , I was asked a question from the audience about the implications of the war in Gaza for Taiwan. This is a question that will keep coming up. I said:
“Thank you. I have many thoughts. The first is that this subject INVISIBLE NATION is all the more relevant and resonant and should be for people. I think if we’re looking at Israel and Palestine the question of people deserving respect, being treated equally, being given diplomatic options for their future is more critical than ever. And so I can let Kharis speak to the bigger geopolitical issues which I’ve thought about a lot which are there. But I don’t think you can have negotiations that are diplomatic that are going to resolve any kinds of issues between nation states if there isn’t some kind of equality between countries going into negotiations. And I think what we’re seeing is militarization of these issues which could otherwise be prevented if we were internationally supporting the sides that need support. So I think that there needs to be more international understanding and diplomacy and creative imagination put to this issue of diplomacy. I mean the US-China film I made a decade ago was about the diplomatic relationship, and this film is also looking at that question of what diplomatic answers can we find in the international community. And we need them.”
For more on the subject of invisibility, in addition to books previously mentioned in this Substack, I recommend:
Michèle Lamont, author of “Seeing Others: How Recognition Works—and How It Can Heal a Divided World,” makes the case for reexamining what we value to prioritize recognition—the quest for respect—in an age that has been defined by growing inequality and the obsolescence of the American dream. While the book focuses on the U.S., I think it has far reaching implications for global politics.
I will return to recommending books about Taiwan again in the next post.
We decided what our poster would look like on Halloween after I woke up and read this on Kareem Abdul Jabbar's Substack from October 31st:
"Kareem’s Daily Quote
“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”
Frederick Douglass, “A Plea For Freedom of Speech in Boston” 1860
A hundred and sixty-three years ago, abolitionist, feminist, journalist, and super cool Black dude Frederick Douglass made a plea for free speech that echoes the same conversations we’re having today. What makes that so confusing and frustrating is that freedom of speech is one of the things Americans agree they are most proud of about their country. We’re always bragging about how precious free speech is to us.
And yet, polls paint a different picture. A New York Times Opinion / Siena College poll found that 84% of Americans say being afraid to exercise freedom of speech is a serious problem, with half saying they often don’t speak out for fear of retaliation. A Pew Research Center poll of 12,000 U.S. journalists found 57% are extremely or very concerned about possible restrictions on press freedoms.
Americans get teary-eyed and patriotic over the grand idea of free speech while at the same time often passionately advocating for suppressing someone else’s speech. This is not a quaint, whimsical contradiction—it is a sinister hypocrisy designed to make people feel good about themselves for proclaiming they are on the side of freedom while simultaneously undermining the foundation of democracy. We’ve seen this behavior from powerful and influential moguls like Elon Musk, who, while declaring himself a “free speech absolutist,” systematically suppressed the free press in this country and aided fascist governments abroad in restricting information and opinions that contradicted those governments. Last week, a mob of Republicans in Congress shouted down and heckled a reporter for asking a legitimate question. The question was never answered. It should be the only question any reporter asks until he answers it.
With the Israeli-Hamas war inflaming passions throughout the world, defending free speech is something a lot of people have abandoned because of the vitriolic attacks that occur in response. Death threats are common from both sides because people are immediately triggered by their biases and self-righteous responses. I am most perplexed by those who attack something I wrote—or rather, think I wrote because often I said the opposite of what they are attacking me for. But they have the right to get it wrong.
At the same time, I’m sympathetic to their anguish, even when they do get it wrong. [To be clear, I support Israel’s right to defend itself against the terrorism of Hamas, whose stated goal is the elimination of Israel. I also acknowledge that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians prior to the war was harsher than it should have been. Like the United Nations, I would like a cease-fire to stop the killing of innocent people on both sides in order to peacefully resolve the issue in a way that protects Israeli and Palestinian rights. This can only happen with intense international support and pressure. I’d prefer there be no more bodies of children as collateral damage for our anger.]
A quick explanation: The First Amendment protects us from government interference in free speech. However, social and cultural free speech is limited by certain laws to prevent defamation, speech that might put people in jeopardy, or hate speech. I fully support these restrictions. The first two are self-evident. The third exists to protect people from the kind of verbal assault that creates a hostile work or living environment.
I grew up hearing politicians proclaiming, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!” (The quote is often wrongly attributed to Voltaire.) People still say it, but I don’t believe them. One of the reasons is the proliferation of rich people intent on punishing colleges and universities for allowing students to exercise free speech about the Israeli-Hamas war. Here are some examples:
Dick Wolf, the creator of Law & Order, has penned a letter urging University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill to resign, joining a number of wealthy donors who have pledged to halt their school funding over its decision to hold a Palestinian literature festival last month. (“‘Law & Order’ Creator Cuts Off UPenn Donations and Begs President to Step Down”)
In a Fox Business interview Wednesday, Leon Cooperman, a hedge fund billionaire who has given tens of millions to Columbia University over the years, pledged to cut his funding to the school over its response to the Israel-Hamas war. That same day, hundreds of Columbia affiliates had walked out in protest of the campus’ ties to Israel, the Columbia Spectator reported. (“Billionaire Cuts Columbia University Donations Over Israel War Response”)
As tensions have erupted at college campuses throughout the country after Hamas’s attack on Israel, former president Donald Trump and other Republican presidential candidates have called to revoke student visas and deport foreign nationals who express support for Palestinians or criticize Israel’s military response — moves that would amount to violations of their First Amendment rights, according to some legal experts. (“Republicans target visas of student protesters. That violates free speech, experts say.”)
A rising number of prominent US figures have faced discipline over controversial public comments they have made about the Palestinian cause, as attacks by Israel on Gaza after the 7 October massacre of Israelis by Hamas fighters intensified. David Velasco, the editor in chief of Artforum magazine, was reportedly fired after the magazine published an open letter in response to the war. (“Prominent US figures face backlash and firings for pro-Palestinian statements”)
I remember how rich donors tried to pressure schools in the sixties and seventies to expel students and fire teachers who protested the Vietnam War. I didn’t agree with that then, and I don’t agree with it now. And, yes, I may vehemently disagree with what the students are saying, but they have the right to say it. Even if it makes me angry. If they say something that is illegal—such as inciting a riot as on January 6th—then arrest them. Yet, some conservatives have even called for students engaging in anti-Israel protests to be blacklisted for future jobs. College is a place where students get to explore different ideas and points of view. Most will modify those opinions with time and experience. We don’t punish them for speaking out—even when we disagree.
There are real and dangerous consequences to protestors inflaming passions against Jews and Muslims. Antisemitic and anti-Muslim verbal and physical assaults have risen on campuses and off. Unfortunately, this can be a consequence of free speech. The civil rights movement also caused violence against Blacks and Whites. The same occurred during labor movements and women’s suffrage movements. The violence is reprehensible, and any speech that deliberately encourages it is not protected. For years, I have traveled the country speaking out against hate speech as well as antisemitism and Islamophobia. I will continue to do so for as long as I can.
I’m extremely proud to be an American for many reasons, one of which is that I am free to write about this controversial topic without government interference. But we older Americans need to wake up to some harsh truths about how younger Americans view this country. According to a Gallup poll, only 18% of those aged 18-34 say they are extremely proud to be an American. Compare that to 2013, when 85% of those aged 18-29 said they were extremely proud. Part of that decline in pride is seeing the dismantling of the rights we have taught them to be proud of: voting rights, the rights of women to control their own bodies, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigration rights. Add to that the attacks on election integrity, education, and free press, the banning of books—and the current uproar over campus free speech—and you can see what troubles our youth. And breaks their faith."
And Kareem’s piece made me remember this article from last year as we are near the one year anniversary of the white paper protests:
How Do You Protest in the Face of Censorship? An Empty Sign. In China, Russia and the United Kingdom, unmarked sheets of white paper have become a potent symbol of defiance. By Jody Rosen Published Dec. 21, 2022
“Commentators were quick to interpret the meaning of the “white-paper protests.” A blank sign is both a symbol and a tactic. It is a passive-aggressive protest against censorship, a sarcastic performance of compliance that signals defiance. Its power rests in a shared understanding, by both the public and the authorities, of the unwritten message; it rests also in the awareness that to say anything at all is to run afoul of a government that brooks no opposition, suppressing even the suggestion of an intention to speak.”
“A sheet of paper may be the ultimate “analog” artifact, but it has emerged as an unusually potent digital-age totem — a meme that is rebounding in fascinating ways between the street and the virtual world. For all the tumult at the barricades, the white signs may reveal more about algorithms, data flow and the way images and ideas resonate online.”
“These signs tell an absurdist joke, ridiculing both censorship and those who enforce it. They function as bait: When security forces — often uniformed and well armed — detain a citizen holding a blank sign, the paranoia and irrationality of state power is thrown into relief. Like a shrewd act of internet trolling, the blank sign is a button-pusher that lures its target into a revealing self-own.”
A more recent article on the pain of invisibility that has stayed with me:
The Palestine Double Standard Oct. 25, 2023 By Hala Alyan Dr. Alyan is a Palestinian American writer, clinical psychologist and professor in New York City.
I want to leave you on a lighter note
Walking the streets of Amsterdam last night, I could not help picturing Donald Glover’s character in his brilliant television series “Atlanta”, tripping his ass off through the city. When I said that to Ted, he laughed. He’d been thinking the same. Then he got pulled into a work call and I put my headphones in and listened to my new obsession (since actor Jaden Michael’s awesome mother and fellow New Yorker, Clara Perez, introduced her music to me at a party we had in LA for Clara and Teo Yoo and Nikki S. Lee) Karol G.
I’m dying to see Steve McQueen’s four hour “Occupied City” about Amsterdam from its Nazi history to the present which releases on Christmas.
If you haven’t yet listened to The Economist’s DRUM TOWER podcast series, I highly recommend their new episodes focused on Taiwan. It is an urgent must listen and pairs beautifully with INVISIBLE NATION. The first three episodes have dropped. The fourth is about to. You can start here:
Drum Tower: What does it mean to be Taiwanese?
October 24, 2023
47 min
For a good laugh, check out my friend Jena Friedman’s brilliant piece in The New Yorker:
The United States Capitol: Where Compassion Meets Comfort
By Jena Friedman
November 12, 2023
Finally, in case you’re having trouble sleeping because of all that’s going on in the world right now, I recommend watching this short film before bed.
The Beatles - Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song (Short Film)
I was so sad to finish Peter Jackson’s series “The Beatles: Get Back” because I loved watching it before going to sleep. I found it to be the rare show that is relaxing, playful and light. Seeing musicians and songwriters create and play in a studio is the best, especially when they’re The Beatles. If you haven’t see it yet, you’ve got something to look forward to. You’re lucky.