Taiwan documentary honored at US film awards

2017/02/18

A documentary commissioned by the Hualien Forest District Office under the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture chronicling the history of logging and reforestation efforts in the eastern Taiwan county was honored at the 2017 Mountain Film Festival earlier this month in Mammoth Lakes, California, the office announced Feb. 15.

The documentary “Treasure in the Clouds—Remembering Halun,” directed by Yen Wen-ju and Chang Yuan-yu in association with Vision Way Communication Co., won a Sierra Nevada Award, which recognizes films in several competition categories including mountain culture, action sports and environmental issues.

Wu Kun-ming, director of the Hualien Forest District Office, said the film is an important work that not only explores Taiwan’s forestry development but also elicits thoughts and discussion about the future of local forestry efforts.

Production of the film took 18 months, requiring the crew to hike 2,000 meters above sea level. Though primarily focusing on the logging industry and its effects in and around Mugua Mountain in Hualien’s Halun area, filming also took place in Taipei City as well as several townships in the eastern county.

In addition to the film’s success at the Mountain Film Festival, the documentary was also honored with awards at two other events in the past months. Last November, it won an Award of Merit—Special Mention at the Best Shorts Competition, and in January the film received an Award of Recognition at the IMPACT DOCS Awards. All three events took place in California.

According to Rick Prickett, director of the Best Shorts Competition, the awards acknowledge artistic value and creative achievements in the fields of film, television, video art and new media art.

The Mountain Film Festival accepts films of all genres with a mission to foster appreciation for the art of movie making. The organization aims to provide recognition to deserving films as well as filmmakers, writers and artists.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=18&post=111563)