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Invisible Nation: Why Taiwan must be included in International Organizations. Global governance is at a crossroads. This conversation will imagine what a more representative international order could look like — one that includes Taiwan and other marginalized countries in institutions like the United Nations, World Health Organization, and Interpol. Experts will debate pathways for reform to make international institutions more inclusive and effective with Taiwan’s role as a key focus.

Joining the director of Invisible Nation, Vanessa Hope, will be Audrey Tang, Taiwan Cyber Ambassador & First Digital Minister 2016 - 2024, and Michael Fern, Cybercrime Prosecutor & Deputy District Attorney, Los Angeles County District.

Moderator

Vanessa Hope, Director of INVISIBLE NATION

Vanessa Hope is an award-winning producer and director who has produced multiple acclaimed films in China including Berlin International Film Festival selection, Wang Quanan's The Story Of Ermei and Cannes Film Festival selection, Chantal Akerman's Tombee De Nuit Sur Shanghai, part of an omnibus of films, The State Of The World. She has also directed and produced several doc shorts, including China In Three Words, an official selection at DOC NYC. Hope made her directorial feature debut with the documentary All Eyes and Ears, an exploration of the complex links between the U.S. and China featuring former President Obama’s US Ambassador to China and premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Hope’s additional producing credits include Sundance Film Festival selections, Zeina Durra’s The Imperialists Are Still Alive! and Sarah and Emily Kunstler's Academy award shortlisted feature documentary, William Kunstler: Disturbing The Universe and their award-winning SXSW film, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. She served as Executive Producer of Paula James-Martinez’s Born Free. 

Vanessa and her husband, Ted Hope, share a company, Double Hope Films. Prior to her film career, Vanessa worked on foreign policy issues at the Council on Foreign Relations with Senior Fellow and Director of Asia Studies Elizabeth Economy. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago in Anthropology and East Asian Studies and completed the coursework for a PhD at Columbia University before going into film. INVISIBLE NATION is Vanessa’s second directorial feature, and was the number 1 documentary in Taiwan in 2025, and 3rd most popular documentary in Taiwan’s history.

Panelists

Audrey Tang

Audrey Tang is Taiwan’s cyber ambassador, first digital minister (2016-2024), architect of the Taiwan Model for digital diplomacy and a 2025 Right Livelihood laureate. World-renowned as a civic tech pioneer, Audrey was pivotal in shaping g0v (gov-zero), as well as platforms like vTaiwan and Join. In 2023, Audrey was named one of TIME magazine’s "Most Influential People in AI."

Michael Fern

Michael Fern is a cybercrime prosecutor in Los Angeles, serves as a trustee for the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and chairs the LACBA International Law Section. In 2024, he organized and led LACBA’s trip to Taiwan, which culminated in the signing of a friendship agreement with Taipei Bar Association. As a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, he authored ABA Resolution 700, which supports the efforts of the United States Government to promote Taiwan’s inclusion in the international system. Mr. Fern graduated with a B.A. in Government and Philosophy from Claremont McKenna College in 2001 and received his J.D. from the University of Southern California in 2004. 

Watch the film in advance (01/28 - 02/01). The Panel will be accessible from Monday 2nd February.

About Invisible Nation: Unprecedented access to Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, centers this portrait of the constantly colonized island, as it struggles to preserve its hard-won democracy, autonomy, and freedom from fear of authoritarian aggression. Thorough, incisive, and bristling with tension, Invisible Nation is a living account of Tsai’s tightrope walk as she balances the hopes and dreams of her nation between the colossal geopolitical forces of the U.S. and China. Invisible Nation captures Tsai at work in her country’s vibrant democracy, while seeking full international recognition of Taiwan’s right to exist. At a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the ever-present threat of authoritarian aggression around the world, Invisible Nation brings a punctual focus to the struggles of Taiwan.