Launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition is in its second year. There were more entries in 2016 compared to 2015: in fact, 152 films were entered in only one month, capturing diverse glimpses of “trending” Taiwan.

In response to the rise of social media, MOFA set up a Trending Taiwan channel on YouTube in July 2015 for the first Trending Taiwan competition, and the number of films entered for 2016 has doubled.

Chang Kuo­boug, director general of MOFA’s Department of International Information Services, thanked all participants whose short films capture the impressive beauty of Taiwan and its people, sharing scenes of Taiwan life with people around the globe.

The judging panel included Mike Kwan, associate professor in the Department of Radio, Television and Film at Shih Hsin University, Mika Ta­naka, writer of Wan­sei Back Home, and travel author Ma Chi Kang. The winner of the first prize in the contest was Dream Bus—Feng­yuan Public Bus 6506. The second prize was shared by The Pride of Taiwan and Svong­vong (“crow butterflies” in the language of the Ru­kai indigenous people). The third prize was shared by three films: Years of Quick ­Deliveries, Si­xiangqi (“Thoughts Arising”), and The Sha­man. Six further films gained honorable mentions.

Chang Kuoboug, director general of MOFA’s Department of International Information Services, thanks all the participants whose short films have captured the impressive beauty of Taiwan and its people to share around the globe.

Diverse works

Jane Liu, president of Cheers Magazine, speaking on behalf of the judging panel, said that the settings of the selected short films range across Taiwan to places as far south as Heng­chun Township in Ping­tung County and as far north as Bei­tou in Tai­pei City. One filmmaker even ventured onto Mt. He­huan, a 3422-meter peak in central Taiwan. “Watching the films was like taking a long bus ride around the country,” said Liu.

Compared with the previous year, themes were more distinct and diverse in 2016. The main focus in 2015 was on night markets and traditional folk arts, and while there was no lack of similar themes in 2016, participants tended to explore a more diverse range of subjects. For example, third-prize winner Si­xiangqi looks at the efforts of local residents in Heng­chun to preserve their traditional folk music. And the producer of Traditional Chinese Script in Taiwan, Lai Kai­wei, visited Hua­lien to record the story of 80-year-old Lai ­Zhongyi, who runs a pen store and is endeavoring to preserve the traditional script.

In addition to displaying the diversity of Taiwan, touching stories about the nation’s people featured in a number of the works selected.

First-prize winner Dream Bus—Feng­yuan Public Bus 6506 is an example. Director and producer Zack ­Chung-yen Hsu discovered a bus route which can boast the highest altitude and longest travel time of any bus in Southeast Asia. Hsu and his three partners spent nearly a month researching and shooting the bus as it traveled along its unique route. Hsu did the final editing himself. 

The three-minute film records the bus traveling from its first stop in Puli, Nan­tou County to the terminal at Mt. He­huan. Xu used a camera drone to capture some of the stunning beauty of Mt. He­huan, but the central theme of the work was to convey the warmth and hospitality of the people on this island.

Jiang Huan­min, producer of Years of Quick Deliveries, also chose a theme from his own familiar environment, recording the story of ­Zhang Luo­xing, one of the distinctive motorbike taxi and delivery riders who ply the streets of Tai­pei City’s Bei­tou District.

First-prize winner Dream Bus─Fengyuan Public Bus 6506 (images courtesy of Zach Chung-yen Hsu) records the daily routine of the bus that travels between Fengyuan in Taichung and Mt. Hehuan in Nantou.

Marketing Taiwan through film

Works from the 2016 competition are not only more diverse and balanced in theme, but perhaps more importantly tend to express more of an international perspective.

A number of winning films, such as Yao­sheng and Traditional Chinese Script in Taiwan, express the thought that the more you are able to preserve local character, the more attractive will be your society to tourists and foreign travelers. Both these films spotlight efforts to preserve the traditional skills and culture of Taiwan, some of which, sadly, are gradually disappearing. At the same time, there were a number of foreign entries in the 2016 contest. The producer of The Shaman, which records the indigenous shaman tradition in Tu­ban Village in Taitung County’s Daren Township, is Malaysian-born Wu Jing­han. And Foresee Taiwan features Brian Lisco, who is a teacher in Tainan but is originally from Texas.

Trending Taiwan tells the stories of our beautiful country through the medium of film. Your story is also the story of Taiwan!

First-prize winner Dream Bus─Fengyuan Public Bus 6506 (images courtesy of Zach Chung-yen Hsu) records the daily routine of the bus that travels between Fengyuan in Taichung and Mt. Hehuan in Nantou.

Svongvong, one of the entries which shared second prize, displays Taiwan’s diverse local features. (images courtesy of Zhang Weicun)

Svongvong, one of the entries which shared second prize, displays Taiwan’s diverse local features. (images courtesy of Zhang Weicun)

The Pride of Taiwan , one of the entries which shared second prize, displays Taiwan’s diverse local features. (image courtesy of Stone)