The Murder by Numbers Film Festival (
殺人影展3:亞洲與世界的對話), featuring films and documentaries on the theme of the death penalty, is on from 8-10 October in
Taipei. It will be followed by screenings in
Hsinchu and on
university campuses later in the month. The festival coincides with the World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October.
The festival is the third to be organised by the
Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (
台灣廢除死刑推動聯盟). The first festival was held in 2004 and the second in 2007. The theme of the third festival is a dialogue between Asia and the world. Asia is one of the regions of the world where the death penalty is most carried out. Taiwan had an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty from December 2005 until April this year when four prisoners were executed. These executions again brought the death penalty debate into the spotlight and showed that Taiwanese society is deeply divided on the issue. Events like this film festival provide an important opportunity for people to engage in dialogue about the death penalty issue.