二戰結束八十年後，傷痛如霜覆於玻璃，斑駁未散
導演許明淳沿著西伯利亞鐵路，踏過冰天雪地，跨越河流與海岸，追尋臺籍西伯利亞戰俘昔日的歸途——從離鄉、入伍、戰敗、被俘、拘留到遣返，一段因戰爭而離散、難以歸返的旅程。這段記憶被寒風與沉默層層掩埋，悄然逝去。
他走訪臺灣、日本與俄羅斯的山野與城市，踏查遺址、拜訪親屬，尋找戰俘殘留的痕跡，並與三個世代展開跨越時光的對話。年近百歲長者的模糊記憶、子女對戰爭的空白與疑問、孫輩面對認同分歧的思索，共同編織出歷史的迴音。
在泛黃照片與寂靜景物之間，他試圖重拾那些被遺忘的聲音，傾聽記憶如何穿越時光、迴蕩至今。
這不只是記憶的召喚，更是跨世代的追問：當歷史失語，我們該如何傾聽？那些無法返鄉的靈魂，又在何處落腳?
歷史斷裂與認同混淆
臺灣長期受制於強權，造成歷史敘述斷裂與認同混淆，導致臺灣人難以建立共同的記憶，使臺灣更加難以擺脫強權的支配。
為了我們之後的世代，在被問起是哪一國人的時候，能夠說出一個讓全世界都認同的答案，我們覺得有責任將這樣的故事傳遞給下一個世代。
藉由臺籍日本兵被蘇聯俘虜的故事，看見臺灣人命運被大國擺佈的一段戰爭記憶，他們的故事呈現了戰爭的傷痛並未因戰爭結束而終止，不只是臺灣人，世人們都應藉此反思戰爭的本質為何。
認識歷史，世代對話
我們認為《冰封的記憶》在拍攝完成後，只是一個起點，希望藉由本次募資計畫所延伸推動的各場講座對話、書籍的延伸閱讀，以及過程中撰寫的文章，一同建構一條跨越世代的討論之路，從歷史思考當代，從臺灣國際定位與困難看見生活在臺灣的大家，如何形成共識面對強權。
導演介紹
許明淳，紀錄片導演，畢業於北教大台文所，1996年開始拍攝紀錄片，作品專注於人物、環境、社運、原民及歷史議題。作品有《阿罩霧風雲》、《尋找1920》、《光計畫》，曾參與公視《打拼－臺灣人民的歷史》製作，長期以影像書寫臺灣文史。
為何而拍？
「轉眼間，投入臺灣史相關主題的紀錄片拍攝，已經超過十年。我經常自問，歷史題材的紀錄片不論是在藝術或商業面向都很難成為主流的類型，那我為什麼還要繼續做這樣的事情，答案可能是因為我是一個有身分認同焦慮的臺灣人吧。對我來說，身分認同焦慮好像一種病，而我對抗這個病的方法，就是重新去認識不同階段的歷史記憶。
2021年，我經由一本書得知有臺籍日本兵在二戰結束後被蘇聯俘虜到西伯利亞的故事，而我之前卻完全不知道這樣的事情，我們經常聽聞家中或親友之間有長輩當過日本兵、去過中國、南洋等戰場，但戰後被蘇聯俘虜、送到西伯西亞，可算是「奇聞」等級。那麼，有多少臺灣人被送到那麼寒冷的地區呢？
有此經歷的臺籍日本兵還有人健在嗎？是什麼原因造成這段戰爭記憶被隱藏了呢？這一個接一個的問號，促使我再次投入這個「冷門」題材。拍攝期間也讓我再次面對，臺灣人對於歷史上的同一件事有不同解釋的立場，這種歷史記憶的模糊或扭曲，存在於同世代與後代之間，同時也讓我強烈感受到這種內部對立的激化，與臺灣長期受到大國宰制的命運彼此牽連。」
擴大參與，推廣議題
因此，在《冰封的記憶》即將於臺灣公共電視與公視+上映的此刻，我們希望透過群眾的支持讓更多人認識這部紀錄片，並進一步透過線上與線下不同主題的講座規劃，和議題書單的推廣，擴大《冰封的記憶》中想與公眾對話的面向。
- English Below -
On August 15, 1945, Japan announced its unconditional surrender. Around 600,000 Japanese soldiers were disarmed by the Soviet forces and sent to prisoner-of-war (POW) camps across the Soviet Union, its member states, and Mongolia. Because most of these camps were in Siberia, these 600,000 men came to be known as the Siberian POWs—among them an undetermined number of Taiwanese-Japanese soldiers.
Eighty years after the end of World War II, the pain clings like frost on a windowpane—mottled, lingering, and indelible.
Director Hsu Ming Chun journeys along the Trans-Siberian Railway, trekking through ice and snow, crossing rivers and coastlines to retrace the path once taken by Taiwanese Japanese POWs sent to Siberia. It is a haunting journey through displacement: leaving home, enlistment, defeat, capture, detention, and the long struggle for return.
This history has been buried under layers of cold wind and silence, quietly fading away.
Ming Chun traversed through mountains, wilderness, and cities across Taiwan, Japan, and Russia, exploring historical sites and visiting relatives to uncover the remaining traces of these POWs. In doing so, he engages in a dialogue that spans across time and generations: the fading, blurred memories of centenarians; the unanswered questions carried by their children; and the reflections of grandchildren navigating divided identities. Together, they form the echoes of history.
Amid yellowing photographs and silent landscapes, the director seeks to reclaim these forgotten voices, listening as memory crosses time and echoes into the present. This is not simply an act of remembrance, but a cross-generational inquiry: When history falls silent, how do we learn to listen? And for those who couldn’t return home, where can their spirits finally rest?
Fractured History and Uncertain Identity
Taiwan has long been at the mercy of great powers. This history has fractured our collective narrative and blurred our sense of identity, making it harder for Taiwanese people to form a shared memory and even harder to break free from outside domination.
We feel a deep responsibility to pass these stories on to the next generation, so that when they are asked, “What country are you from?” they can answer with confidence—and with recognition from the world.
Through the journeys of Taiwanese soldiers drafted into the Imperial Japanese Army and later taken prisoner by the Soviet Union, we see how the tides of global power swept Taiwan into histories not of its own making. Their stories show that war does not end when the fighting stops. They offer the world—not only Taiwan—a clear reminder of what conflict leaves behind.
Understanding the Past, Sparking Generational Dialogue
Completing Memories Frozen in Time is just the beginning. Through lectures, dialogues, readings, and articles from this fundraising project, we aim to spark conversations that bridge generations. By seeing the present through the lens of history—and understanding life in Taiwan under the weight of great powers—we hope to foster a shared resolve to face these challenges together.
About the Director
HSU Ming Chun graduated from the Graduate School of Taiwanese Culture at National Taipei University of Education, specializing in history. He began making documentaries in 1996, focusing on human stories, environmental issues, social movements, Indigenous cultures, and urban transformation. In 2003, he served as production coordinator for Taiwan: A People’s History, a historical documentary series produced by Taiwan Public Television Service. Since then, he has continued to explore historical and cultural themes in his work. His later films include The Legend of Attabu (Parts I & II, 2013 & 2015), about the renowned Lin family of Wufeng; Searching for 1920 (Parts I & II, 2019), about the first Taiwanese and Korean aviators under Japanese colonial rule; and Guang War Plan (2020), which examines Cold War–era relations among the U.S., China, and Taiwan through the lens of national identity.
Director Hsu Ming Chun: "In the blink of an eye, I’ve been making documentaries on Taiwanese history for over a decade. And I keep asking myself: historical documentaries rarely reach the mainstream—artistically or commercially—so why do I keep doing this? Perhaps it’s because I am a Taiwanese person grappling with ‘identity anxiety.’
To me, this anxiety feels like an illness. My way of confronting it is to reconnect with historical memories from different eras.
In 2021, I discovered through a book that Taiwanese soldiers serving Japan were captured by the Soviet Union after WWII and sent to Siberia. I had never heard of this. We often hear family stories about elders who served as Japanese soldiers in China or the South Seas—but being sent to Siberia was considered a ‘tall tale.’ How many Taiwanese endured such bitter cold? Are any survivors still alive? Why has this history been hidden?
One question led to another, pulling me into this ‘niche’ story. Filming revealed that Taiwanese people often hold vastly different interpretations of the same events. This distortion of memory exists across generations. And through it all, I felt how the radicalization of internal divisions is inseparable from Taiwan’s long history of being shaped and controlled by great powers."
Engaging Audiences, Amplifying the Issue
As Memories Frozen in Time is set to premiere on Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS) and PTS+, we aim to harness public support to reach a wider audience. Through online and offline panel discussions and curated reading lists, we seek to ignite a broader public dialogue that the documentary is meant to spark.
