Some dreams never become stale and that was the case for a group of octogenarians who undertook to motorcycle around Taiwan. The documentary Go Grandriders follows the group’s 13-day journey in the fall of 2007, sharing their individual stories, their camaraderie and the hurdles they faced along the way.
Completing the trip around the island did not come easy. All of them were in decent health, for octogenarians, but all were suffering the consequences of old age and its inevitable aches and pains. Among them, two had survived cancer, four were hearing aid dependent, five had high-blood pressure and eight were suffering from cardiovascular disease.
The participants came from all walks of life, and at times their life stories were interwoven with pivotal moments in Taiwan’s history, including Japanese colonialism, and the inflow of immigrants from the mainland after WW II.
The ride was initiated by Taiwan’s Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation, with the goal of promoting a positive image of the island’s aging population. The zest for life shown by the grandriders is important, especially given Taiwan’s aged society. By 2016, the elderly population (65 and over) will outnumber the young.
The film was produced by CNEX’s Ben Tsiang and directed by Huan Tien-hao. In October 2012, Go Grandriders was released in Taiwan and soon broke box office records for documentary films in Taiwan. It was selected for the 2013 CAAMFest and sponsored by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco.
The documentary will play at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas (San Francisco’s Japantown) on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 7:20 pm and at the Great Star Theater (San Francisco’s Chinatown) on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 2:00 pm. Both Huan and Tsiang will be present for the Q&A sessions after the showings. For ticket information, please visit CAAMFest’s website: .