Winners of the Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition, an annual competition organized by the Department of International Information Services under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were awarded at a ceremony Nov. 10 in Taipei City.
The seventh edition of the event showcasing Taiwan’s distinctive qualities saw 20 submissions of three minutes or less selected from a near 200-strong field in the categories of creative and brand story. The former centers on inspiring stories of beauty and culture, while the latter focuses on framing Taiwan as a marketable commodity.
In the creative, “Son of the Taro Fields” by New Taipei City-based Stonehenge Media Corporation took the top honors. The short tells the tale of chef Ko Ming-tsung, who won international culinary competitions with his vivid taro carvings.
“Taiwan: Apace with the World” by Wu Tsung-han finished first in brand for emphasizing Taiwan’s multicultural development, while “A Wonderful Day: A Special Taiwan Drink” by Sizo Simelane secured second for describing how foreigners in Taiwan fall in love with bubble tea and “Let’s get Environmental!” by Hsu Chao-hsun took third for introducing the country’s garbage classification.
During the ceremony, MOFA Deputy Minister Tien Chung-kwang said new media images and videos touch people’s hearts in the era of digital diplomacy. The awarded shorts showcase vibrant local culture and help raise global awareness of Taiwan’s soft power, he added.
According to the MOFA, the entries were assessed by a six-member panel using the criteria of narrative technique, script creativity, technical proficiency and theme appeal. They will be subtitled in a variety of foreign languages for broadcast on the ministry’s Trending Taiwan YouTube account.
First launched in 2015, the competition is one of the MOFA’s most successful digital diplomacy promotions. It has attracted around 1,000 submissions to date from nationals of countries such as France, India, Malaysia and Switzerland. (YCH-E)
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