The Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition kicked off June 15 as part of government efforts to raise the country’s profile on the global stage via digital diplomacy.
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sixth edition of the annual event is now accepting original short videos by filmmakers from home and abroad. Entries should showcase Taiwan’s distinctive qualities and fall under one of two categories: open and pandemic prevention.
The former category calls for films capturing inspiring moments or telling unique stories while the latter is newly added to highlight Taiwan’s success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the MOFA, submissions will be assessed by a five-member panel using the criteria of narrative technique, script creativity, technical proficiency and theme appeal. A total of 20 from the open category will be shortlisted in the first round, along with 10 from the pandemic-prevention category, with final selections honored during a ceremony Sept. 2 in Taipei City.
For the open category, the first-prize winner is to receive a cash prize of NT$200,000 (US$6,758), the two second-prize winners NT$60,000 each, three third-prize winners NT$30,000 each and the six winners of distinctions NT$20,000 each. Local and foreign first-, second- and third-prize winners in the pandemic-prevention category will receive NT$80,000, NT$50,000 and NT$20,000, respectively.
The awarded works will be subtitled in a variety of foreign languages for broadcast on the MOFA website and its social media accounts like @MOFA_Taiwan on Twitter.
First launched in 2015, the Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition has attracted nearly 500 submissions to date from nationals of countries around the world, including France, India, Malaysia and Switzerland. (YCH-E)
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