My Fancy High Heels

Taiwan, 2010. Director Chao-ti Ho. 55min.

In My Fancy High Heels contemporary Taiwanese filmmaker Chao-ti Ho creates an experimental documentary that traces the currents of the fashion industry across borders, moving from entrepreneurs to industrial and farm labourers to consumers and even into the heart of nature. Avoiding a heavy-handed commentary, Ho manages to root her observational documentary in the core of people’s lives, desires and environments. While not pointing her finger at obvious villains, she reveals very visible victims. From its opening delight in a pair of fancy high heels on Manhattan sidewalks to its ambiguous animated conclusion, Ho raises issues with gentle intensity and sometimes disturbing images. By tracing fashion back to its materials, and through the production chain, Ho reveals the troubling process that haunts the latest trends.

Past screenings

Wearing Time: Returns, Recalls, Renewals – Miami
Sunday 31 January 2016, 14:30 | Bal Harbour Shops

Wearing Time: Past, Present, Future, Dream – London
Wednesday 22 March 2017, 20:30 | Genesis Cinema
Screened alongside A Lady’s Shoe (1935) and Cotton Counts (1951). With a post-screening panel discussion between Orsola de Castro, Kate Hills and Alice Wilby, chaired by Bel Jacobs.