The Great Buddha +

Bizarre events are witnessed by a giant, hollow statue of Buddha in this tale from present-day Taiwan. Buddies Pickle and Bellybutton hang out in the security booth of a statue factory where Pickle works as a guard. One day they watch footage from the boss’s dash-cam, only to discover some very dark secrets. The Great Buddha + mixes satire, comedy and social drama to depict a society where protecting oneself from violence, corruption and brutality – particularly if you happen to be poor.

Huang Hsin-yao (b. 1973) is a director and actor from Taiwan. He has previously directed severa documentaries that demonstrate his ability to combine satire with visual poetry. The Great Buddha + is developed from a short film Huang directed in 2014, and that won the main award at the Taipei Film Festival in 2017.