For its ninth edition, the Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival wants to take you “Beyond Taiwan”—or maybe over top of it. One of the highlights of this year’s mini-fest, which takes place at the Vancity Theatre from Friday to Sunday (June 19 to 21), is the 2013 documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above. The film showcases the country’s stunning natural wonders juxtaposed with images of industrial development. Canadians might be reminded of the work of Edward Burtynsky.

“A lot of money and time was spent on the documentary,” said William Chuang, director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver. He was joined at a media conference by festival partners from UBC Literature Etc. and the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society.

Chuang emphasized that the festival gives Vancouverites an opportunity to learn not only about Taiwan’s vibrant film industry, but also about its open and democratic society.

“Through cultural exchange, we hope that the distance between Canada and Taiwan can become shorter—not only culturally, but psychologically and spiritually also,” he said.

Beyond Beauty kicks off a series of seven films that also includes the environmentally themed drama The Boar King.

Visit www.viff.org/ for more information and the full schedule.

In the meantime, here are a few of our picks.

Meeting Dr. Sun

Like its gang of would-be thieves decked out in ridiculous little-girl anime masks, Meeting Dr. Sun conceals a lot of anger behind its absurdism. As a viewer, you’re welcome to take it either way. Written and directed by Yee Chih-yen, this wildly enjoyable comedy includes a slow-burn scene in which its two main characters compete to prove which one is the poorest. Facing unpaid tuition fees, Lefty and Sky have both hit upon the same scheme to steal and then fence a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen from the school storage room. The symbolism might be a tad obvious, but this is a film made in the same year as Taiwan’s independence-minded Sunflower Student Movement, and desperate times obviously require heavier slapstick.

June 20 (1:40 p.m.); June 21 (5 p.m.)

Design 7 Love

Like one of the many self-constructing skyscrapers we see sprouting on Taipei’s skyline, Design 7 Love runs on its own, unfolding internal logic. Ostensibly, it’s the tale of a design company tasked with rebranding a fancy hotel. What we get instead is a lively, if very chaste, take on La Ronde, with side commentaries on art, nature, time, love, food, Down by Law—you name it. By the end of this contraption of a movie, which includes among its heavy graphics a credit sequence that runs throughout the entire film, an array of young and attractive characters is commenting on the script itself.

June 20 (6:10 p.m.) 

Conspiracy

If you’re not entirely sold on the film’s allusions to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Conspiracy is still a riveting tale. Set inside a high school that seems to vibrate with subtle menace, Che-i Liao’s debut feature pits a disgraced teacher against a gang of students who almost certainly set him up. It’s the cool tone of the movie that grips you first, making way for a crazily melodramatic climax that might have sunk the whole enterprise if it weren’t for the subsequent 10 minutes, in which time, space, and an ambitious young filmmaker conspire to fuck your mind well and good.

June 21 (7 p.m.)