Taiwan's local public television
station on Sunday aired Penguins at North Pole, which is
described as the country's “first gay-themed family comedy.”
“In most Asian countries this topic
is still quite taboo,” Jessie Shih, deputy director of the
international department at Taiwan's Public Television Service, is
quoted as saying by The
Hollywood Reporter. “And many among the older generations
in Taiwan still feel that way.”
Unlike the weighty gay-themed
television fare of the past, Penguins is a light comedy with a
happy ending.
In the short film, a mother pretends to
accept her daughter's romantic relationship with another woman in
order to gain her trust and eventually persuade her to marry a young
man. (A trailer for the film is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
Penguins aired
on the same day that supporters and opponents of a proposed gay
marriage bill held parallel rallies in Taipei's Freedom Square.