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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Trending Taiwan Short Film Competition celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2024. Foreign Affairs Minister Lin Chia-lung observed that the short films were not only very creative, but also represented “an important visual archive of Taiwan.”

A glimpse of Taiwan

The competition received 250 submissions from 11 countries in 2024. These submissions fell into two categories: “Creative Theme” (180-second shorts in landscape mode) and “Reel-Style Short Video” (60-second videos in portrait mode). They presented viewers with a broad range of Taiwanese natural wonders and human-interest stories.

Among the subjects were Taiwan’s second-tallest mountain—Xueshan—in vibrant green and after a major snowfall; the work local government and scholars are doing to propagate corals in the waters off Suogang Village, Penghu, and restore the beauty of the seafloor; Troides aeacus kaguya, an endemic subspecies of the golden birdwing butterfly, shown fluttering gracefully about mountain glades; and the moving story of a master incense maker in Lukang preserving craft methods and teaching them to the next generation.

“Each year’s submissions highlight interesting trends,” observed film director Wesley Ko, a Trending Taiwan judge. He said that each film encapsulates its creator’s perception of Taiwanese cultural values and captures the cultural pulse of our island.

The competition’s short films often highlight Taiwan’s cultural diversity. Since 2016, when then-president Tsai Ying-wen apologized to Taiwan’s indigenous peoples on behalf of the government, Aboriginal perspectives on history have been incorporated into mainstream views. As a result, nearly every iteration of Trending Taiwan has included a rich display of Aboriginal cultural elements. When the Act for Implementation of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748 passed its third reading in the legislature in 2019, it made Taiwan the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Taiwan’s inclusiveness has become a source of national pride and was the theme of the seventh Trending Taiwan competition.

Lin Chia-lung noted that filmmakers must be creative to express their vision of Taiwan. How do they select from among Taiwan’s many facets and wealth of perspectives? “We need the whole of society to participate to define Taiwan’s brand and place in the world.”

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked competition entrants for giving filmic expression to their love of Taiwan and providing foreign viewers with more opportunities to see Taiwan’s beauty.

The importance of narrative perspective

Chen Ching-ho, president of Shih Hsin University, has been judging the Trending Taiwan competition for nearly a decade and observed that in recent years creators have needed to offer a distinctive narrative perspective to stand out.

The rapid evolution of film equipment has made ubiquitous the tools of visual storytelling and resulted in obvious improvements to image quality. High-­quality images are now a baseline expectation. “Aerial imagery used to be an easy route to a more striking video, but nowadays a good story is key.” Chen therefore believes that creativity and an engaging story have become crucial to improving foreign viewers’ understanding of Taiwan and encouraging them to visit.

Hold the Hope takes the Chinese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) as its protagonist to help viewers grasp the role horseshoe crabs play in local culture. The film also showcases the efforts of horseshoe crab scholar Yang Ming-che and other academics to propagate the species, highlighting one aspect of Taiwan’s work on a crucial domestic and international issue: protecting biodiversity. Telling this important story in a new way earned Hold the Hope the top prize in 2024’s Creative Theme category.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (back, third left) posed for photos with the winners of the Reel-Style Short Video category, and expressed high praise for their creativity and dedication.

Portrait mode’s challenges

Hold the Hope embodies the detailed storytelling and visual characteristics particular to landscape-mode films. However, digital platforms and viewing habits have changed, prompting creators to explore different ways of presenting their work.

Trending Taiwan inaugurated the Reel-Style Short Video category in 2023 to encourage creators to expand into the portrait format. The initiative reflects digital platforms’ demand for portrait-mode content, as well as opening up new possibilities for Taiwanese films and extending their filmic vocabulary.

The 2024 winner in the Reel-Style Short Video category was a short film called Amazing Images of Taiwan created by South Korean YouTubers @couplefromkorea. Just 60 seconds long, their short incorporates AI effects into shots of Taiwan’s night markets and landscapes. The video’s creativity and quick pacing give it life and vibrancy, taking its charming scenes of Taiwan to another level and winning unanimous acclaim from the judges.

Min Park-hye (Ponie) said that she and her husband Kim Yong-jung (Yingjun) used to film primarily in landscape mode, and that the switch to portrait mode introduced challenges. She explained that the transition required different techniques and a complete rethink of the composition and storytelling.

“With videos changing, we have to pay greater attention to portrait-mode works.” Film director and Trending Taiwan judge Ethan Yijan Huang said that the popularity of short and portrait-mode videos has had a far-reaching impact on movies and TV, turning traditional ideas about video production on their head. “In the future, creators will have to keep an even closer eye on the number of views to understand what audiences want.”

Films featuring compelling human-interest stories and gorgeous scenery showcase Taiwan’s unique charm to the world.

Taiwanese stories go global

Though adapting to new formats and keeping content innovative present challenges, it is the mission of creators to push boundaries and overcome obstacles, to embrace new filmic vocabulary and forms of expression.

Huang Wei-sheng is precisely this kind of creator. A repeat winner of Trending Taiwan prizes, his 2024 submission about railroads and the mountains, Love Letter to Pilgrims, won one of the two second prizes in the landscape-format competition.

Huang’s continued participation in the competition reflects his belief in the Trending Taiwan platform. He says that the translation of his previous prizewinning films into many languages has introduced his work to a global audience. “I think that’s great!”

Creators’ confidence in the MOFA platform lets them focus on their art and in recent years has encouraged the participation of many foreign filmmakers passionate about Taiwan.

In addition to Min Park-hye and Kim Yong-jung from South Korea, 2024’s international entrants included Sizo Simelane from Eswatini, who partnered with Hsu Chao-hsun to make Tamsui in Motion, which won third prize in the portrait-mode category. The pair drew on Sime­lane’s non-native perspective, depicting Tamsui’s unique charm and how living in the town has affected him. “Our idea was to help non-Taiwanese better understand Taiwan. Introducing Taiwan through a foreigner’s eye brings the film closer to the viewer’s perspective.” Hsu thinks the approach makes for more effective marketing.

Trending Taiwan’s cash prizes and awards acknowledge recipients’ accomplishments and aim to spur their continued passion for the arts.

Everyone an ambassador

“Creators are looking for Taiwan’s particular DNA. Since people relate to countries as well as to one another, by establishing points of mutual resonance and coming closer together, we can enrich each other’s lives.” Lin Chia-lung added that each film has an extra­ordinary long-tail effect, making each creator an ambassador for Taiwan. “They are all marketing ambassadors enhancing Taiwan’s appeal and soft power.”

Lin thanked the filmmakers, telling them: “You have used your films to introduce Taiwan to the world, showing it Taiwan’s strength, beauty and most moving scenes.” The films capture uniquely Taiwanese trends and are quietly leading our island forward on the international stage.

photo by Kent Chuang

Wide-angle bird’s-eye views used to be difficult to film. New camera equipment now makes it much easier to capture them. (photo by Kent Chuang)

photo by Kent Chuang

Trending Taiwan presents Taiwan’s unique culture and amazing natural scenery to the world.