The short film competition held for 2007 Awards for Cross-Strait Cinematic Exchanges
The short film competition held for 2007 Awards for Cross-Strait Cinematic Exchanges has started accepting entries since Wednesday (October 10, 2007). Jointly sponsored by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the School of Communication in Ming Chuan University for university students, the creative short-film competition aims to observe, interpret, and showcase the past, present, and future of cross-strait relations from the vivid viewpoint of the youth and through the use of digital imaging technology.
As a co-sponsor, the MAC indicated that since November 1987 when the Taiwanese government allowed the Taiwanese people to visit their relatives in China, cross-strait relations have evolved from complete isolation between both sides to frequent civilian interaction, and have now presented a face different form those in the past. When cross-strait civilian exchanges will soon mark the 20th anniversary, we look back at past policies and concrete measures on cultural and educational, social, and trade and economic exchanges that the government has adopted, including the policy of allowing Chinese reporters to station in Taiwan to cover news events, the planning and promotion of a peaceful and stable framework for cross-strait interactions, the opening up of tourism in Taiwan for Chinese tourists, the gradual and orderly implementation of “cross-strait direct transportation links,” the promotion of cross-strait holiday charter flights and four types of specialized cross-strait charter flights, the formulation and amendment of relevant regulations, and the reinforcement of assistance and services available to Taiwanese businesspeople in China. These have deeply influenced the lives and mutual interaction of the people on both sides of the Strait.
In contrast, what makes people be deeply impressed and feel strongly is China’s huge increase in its military budget and China’s deployment of more than 1,000 ballistic missiles targeting at Taiwan; moreover, it has incessantly conducted suppression of Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts, which is aimed at suffocating the 23 million Taiwanese people’s wishes for space in the international arena. China’s these kinds of measures and actions have directly and indirectly affected the feeling between the people on both sides of the Strait, and have influenced the Taiwanese people’s intentions and attitude toward the future development of cross-strait relations.
The MAC indicated that in order to encourage the young students to show concern over and study cross-strait issues and to expand the vision of the younger generation on the present-stage cross-strait situation, such a creative short-film competition was therefore planned. In the face of the highly complicated and highly politically-sensitive cross-strait relations, it is believed that if cross-strait relations are addressed from a more relaxed perspective and that if the young generation is provided with a platform to develop their creativity, perhaps they can bring fresh vigor and vitality into cross-strait interactions and stimulate different modes of thinking and inspiration. Who knows they can even create a new turning point for cross-strait relations!
Competition entries are restricted to 2-minute pieces of creative work in any form. Deadline for the submission of entries is on December 10, 2007 and the list of nominees will be announced on January 15, 2008. The total amount of prizes is NT$200,000. College students all over the country are welcome to take this opportunity to actively participate in the competition and display their creativity. More details on the competition and the application form can be found on these websites: http://mol.mcu.edu.tw and http://www.mac.gov.tw.