Chao-Ti Ho
87 min mins
The documentary follows the experiences of Chen and Pei, two indigenous Taiwanese teenage girls, who meet at a vocational training programme. They both come from eastern Taiwan and their family circumstances are difficult. Chen takes care of her siblings and her unstable alcoholic mother, and constantly dreams of leaving. Pei has decided to move in with her boyfriend in order to escape abuse at home. As they approach the age of 18, their lives are destined to take very different paths. This is a story about abandonment and struggle, but also about the girls’ courage and conviction in making changes to their lives. Director Ho Chao-ti approaches their experiences from a female perspective, addressing issues of sexual abuse, LGBTQ rights, and rural poverty.
![Queer East -](https://queereast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Turning18_MainImage-scaled.jpg)
![Queer East -](https://queereast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Turning18_01-scaled.jpg)
![Queer East -](https://queereast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Turning18_03-scaled.jpg)
![Queer East -](https://queereast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Turning18_02-scaled.jpg)
![Queer East -](https://queereast.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Turning18_04-scaled.jpg)
Introduction by Christopher Brown, University of Sussex.
With support from the Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute / Taiwan Docs.