Filmmakers from around the world were recognized at the Oct. 31 award ceremony in Taipei City for the Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition, an annual event organized by the Department of International Information Services under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This year’s contest saw a total of 223 submissions from creators competing for prizes worth a total of NT$1.25 million (US$38,500). The ministry applauded participants’ creative skill and thanked them for putting Taiwan in the spotlight.
The Creative Theme top prize of NT$250,000 was awarded to Blue Train for their piece on railway enthusiasts who film and photograph trains in urban and rural landscapes around Taiwan. According to MOFA, the subjects of the short hail from Taiwan and Japan and their experiences demonstrate the power a shared passion has to transcend language barriers.
The ministry said that this year’s new category for reel-style short videos showcased exciting young talent, including the winning team Zoebitalk, whose video presented various ways of exploring Taiwan. The second prize went to a brother and sister duo from Malaysia, who focused on Taiwan’s vibrant night market culture in their one-minute piece.
In addition to Taiwan and Malaysia, this year’s contestants hail from 13 other countries such as Belize, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam. Over 40 overseas submissions were received, the highest number in the history of the event.
The 16 winning shorts will be subtitled in a variety of foreign languages for broadcast on the ministry’s Trending Taiwan YouTube channel. More information about the videos will also be released through the Trending Taiwan Facebook page and X account.
First launched in 2015, the competition is one of the MOFA’s most successful digital diplomacy promotions. Over its nine-year run, it has attracted around 1,000 submissions from international participants from countries including France, India and Switzerland. (POC-E)
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