Island in Between (金門) on Tuesday was nominated for the Documentary Short Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, continuing a string of successes for Taiwanese films internationally.
Island in Between director S. Leo Chiang (江松長) said he was happy to have the film — which explores the history of Kinmen County — be a portal through which audiences from other countries could see and gain a better understanding of Taiwan.
“We never expected that this documentary would be so well received by people in the industry, nor did we expect to have so many views, a result of the film being carried on the New York Times’ Op-Docs platform,” he said.
Photo: CNA
With scenes such as the opening one — a shot that circles the wreckage of a rusted tank half buried in sand on a beach, its turret pointed toward the water — and one showing China from a beach in Kinmen County, the documentary was his effort to “make sense” of the duality of how Kinmen connects Taiwan and China, but also keeps them apart.
The proximity of Kinmen to China is constantly mentioned in the 20-minute film. At the end, Chiang says that the people of Kinmen are “forever caught in between” Taiwan and China.
Chiang said that by observing the lives of the people in Kinmen, the film hopes to further explore the cross-strait issue and provide meaningful contributions to international relations.
“Especially at a time when the globe is trying to understand and mend the rift caused by the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as the strife between Israel and Hamas, I hope that my film can provide some help in promoting peace,” he said.
Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) congratulated Island in Between for being nominated, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday.
The honor continues the recent successes of films directed by Taiwanese after A Sun (陽光普照), a film directed by Chung Meng-hung (鍾孟宏), was shortlisted for nomination, Shih said.
A Sun — a drama about a family struggling with loss and trying to rebuild — was shortlisted an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category for the 2021 awards.
Taiwanese films winning international accolades highlights the burgeoning creativity in the nation’s filmmaking industry, Shih said.
CNEX Studio Corp, which collaborated with Chiang to produce Island in Between, said it was happy that the documentary would allow more people internationally to learn more about Taiwan.
The Academy Awards are scheduled for March 10.
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