為什麼是菲律賓？這是我們在規劃「必須虛構：後國族菲律賓紀錄片的多樣真實」時不斷思考的問題。我們目前也沒有明確的答案。也許是因為馬尼拉距離台灣搭飛機只要兩小時，是除了中國之外，距離台灣最近的其他國家；另一個距離差不多的是那霸。或許，這問題永遠也不會有所謂真正的答案。事實上，菲律賓和台灣的歷史有許多相似與可比之處，我們都有原住民，也都有來自中國的移民；經歷過不同階段的殖民，在冷戰的結構下，我們同樣深受美國帝國主義影響。此外，我們都擁有被獨裁政權統治的戒嚴經驗。2022年菲律賓將舉行總統大選，在此特殊的時刻，或許是個機會讓我們好好地認識菲律賓，特別是跳脫「馬尼拉中心」的國族建構視角——況且，台灣有許多來自菲律賓的移民，而他們大多是來自馬尼拉以外的區域。;xNLx;;xNLx;這單元的構思，經過了相當漫長的討論，將近有一年的時間，我們以兩週一次的頻率線上碰面討論，從超過200部影片中組織成現在的片單樣貌。首先，我們挑出重要的創作者和作品，試著排列組合，這些影片充滿各種排列組合的可能性。其次，就是篩選，哪些要納入，哪些只能忍痛捨棄，這是最困難的部分。我們只能保留下呼應此刻最適切的組合——當然還有更多是沒辦法放進來的。協商和斡旋，是共同策劃的過程中的關鍵字。此外，我們也希望透過這單元，提出「紀錄片是什麼，或可以是什麼」的思考，這也是不斷協商與斡旋的過程，它不是一個固著的概念。;xNLx;;xNLx;這本刊物搭配本屆影展的節目，規劃有專文、對談，共九篇文章，邀請菲律賓與台灣的電影研究者與創作者撰文，從菲律賓深受殖民經驗影響的早期電影史談起、1980年代由國際機構所帶動的獨立電影拍攝浪潮，到1990年代因著政治與社會的發展而激發的各類攝製團體與藝術家社群，在新傳播工具的引入下，進而遍地開花。如今，我們可以看到新世代的菲律賓電影創作者，在不同地方展開豐沛的創作能量。;xNLx;;xNLx;此外，我們特別邀請菲律賓獨立電影創作者羅克斯李為影展繪製漫畫；並詳細整理與本次節目相關的菲律賓電影資料，相信這會是台灣近年來關於菲律賓電影的最完整爬梳。希望這檔放映節目與出版品，能讓思考與對話發生。;xNLx;;xNLx;最後，我們想跟讀到這裡的各位說：來認識你的鄰居吧！在看向歐美國家之前，先來認識我們！ ;xNLx;;xNLx;Why the Philippines? This is what we kept thinking as we curated 'Necessary Fictions: Negotiating Realities in Post-national Philippine Documentaries'. We do not have a clear answer yet. Maybe it is because Manila, only two hours away by plane from Taiwan, is the nearest country other than China; another one with a similar distance is Naha. Perhaps, there is no answer to this question. In fact, the Philippines and Taiwan have a lot in common in history. We both have indigenous people and immigrants from China. We were colonized by different regimes, and we were deeply affected by American imperialism during the Cold War. We also have the legacy of martial law. In 2022, the Philippines will hold its presidential election. At this special moment, it might be a great opportunity for us to know the Philippines better, especially from perspectives that are not Manila centric. After all, many immigrants in Taiwan are from the Philippines, and most of them are from areas outside Manila.;xNLx;;xNLx;To develop this program, we discussed online every two weeks for nearly a year to organize the list from more than 200 films. We started by first selecting important artists and works and then trying to arrange and structure them in every possible way to see how well they match. Since we could not incorporate all the films into our program, we kept works that were most appropriate and relevant. Negotiation and mediation became the core of the co-curatorial process. In this program, we also want to discuss ‘what a documentary is’ and ‘what a documentary can be’. There are no fixed answers, and answering these questions is also a process of continuous negotiation and mediation.;xNLx;;xNLx;The book in your hand, which includes nine articles, is one of the results of this process. Contributors are artists, film researchers and creators from the Philippines and Taiwan. They stimulate the debate of the independent film histories of the Philippines, trying to bring up perspectives outside Manila.;xNLx;;xNLx;Besides, we also invited Filipino independent filmmaker Roxlee to draw comic strips for the TIDF. We believe this book will be one of the most comprehensive reviews of Philippine cinema in Taiwan in recent years. We do hope the screening program and this publication will provide a space for dialogues.;xNLx;;xNLx;Finally, we want to say to our readers, ‘Come to know our neighbors! Before we look at the West, look at us first’.