Four films independently or jointly produced by Taiwan entities are shortlisted for the XR Competition at the NewImages Festival in Paris, giving the country the largest representation in the category, according to the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) April 23.   Works vying for the top prize are “The Eye and I” by Huang Hsin-chien; “Over the Rainbow” by Riverbed Theatre; “Traversing the Mist” by Very Theatre; and “Mirror” by Wu De-chuen, Mandala Films and Longwell TV Production Inc. The films are competing with 11 other productions screening April 24-28, with the winner to be anno ..read more

The signing into law April 24 of an emergency national security supplemental appropriations act by U.S. President Joe Biden is sincerely appreciated by the government and people of Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said April 25.   According to the MOFA, H.R. 815 includes security initiatives for the Indo-Pacific, including US$2 billion for Taiwan and other regional partners under the U.S. Foreign Military Financing program, as well as US$1.9 billion to replenish defense equipment and provide military services and personnel training to Taiwan.   It follows H.R. 2882, which was ..read more

The 60th meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Expert Group on New and Renewable Energy Technologies is taking place April 24-25 in the southern city of Kaohsiung, spotlighting member economies’ joint commitment to sustainable development. Hosted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Energy Administration in a hybrid in-person and online format, this year’s forum brings together representatives from member economies Taiwan, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and the United States; seven APEC groups including the Energy Working G ..read more

President Tsai Ing-wen received a bipartisan delegation from the U.S. House of Representatives at the Presidential Office April 24 in Taipei City, pledging to keep working with the U.S. and other partners to strengthen the democratic alliance for a more stable and prosperous world.   The group comprises Lisa McClain, secretary of the House Republican Conference and member of the Committee on Armed Services; Dan Kildee of the Democratic Party who serves on the Committee of Ways and Means; and Mark Alford of the Republican Party who is also on the armed services committee.   According ..read more

The extended reality film “Traversing the Mist” was shortlisted April 23 in the inaugural competition for Best Immersive Work at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.   Directed by Chou Tung-yen, the piece uses augmented, mixed and virtual reality to invite the audience on a surreal journey. With 6DoF technology, which refers to six degrees of movement, “Traversing the Mist” gives participants the opportunity to explore a virtual gay sauna and ponder questions of love and loneliness.   The Taiwan-produced film competes with seven other productions, all of which will be presented to festival ..read more

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the fact that the United States once again affirmed Taiwan's democratic and human rights achievements in the 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The section on Taiwan reaffirmed the county’s democratic government and its respect and protection of freedom and human rights.  According to the MOFA, as a frontline democracy facing authoritarianism, Taiwan attaches great importance to the protection of human rights and the exercise of its peoples’ freedoms and makes good use of the country's high-tech advantages to actively cooperate with t ..read more

President Tsai Ing-wen received a delegation from Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies at the Presidential Office April 23 in Taipei City, pledging to continue advancing relations with the U.S. to promote wide-ranging cooperation.   The bipartisan delegation is led by CSIS Senior Vice President for Asia and Korea Chair Victor Cha and comprises two former Congress members and four senior officials from the past four U.S. administrations.   According to the president, despite changes to the international landscape in recent years, Taiwan remains co ..read more

University coalitions from Taiwan and Japan concluded a memorandum of understanding on educational cooperation April 22 in Fukuoka, marking another milestone in the bilateral partnership, according to the Ministry of Education.   The agreement was signed by Chen Wen-chang, president of Taipei City-based National Taiwan University, and his counterpart Tatsuro Ishibashi, of Fukuoka’s Kyushu University, and laid out points of collaboration between the University Academic Alliance in Taiwan and the Kyushu-Okinawa Open University. Also in attendance were Deputy Education Minister Lio Mon-chi ..read more

The visit by three members of the U.S. House of Representatives is sincerely welcomed by the government and people of Taiwan as the 45th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act is celebrated, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said April 23.   According to the MOFA, the group comprises Lisa McClain, secretary of the House Republican Conference who serves on the Committee on Armed Services; Dan Kildee of the Democratic Party who serves on the Ways and Means Committee; and Mark Alford of the Republican Party who also serves on the Armed Services Committee.   During their stay April 23-25 ..read more

Premier Chen Chien-jen kicked off the international review of the first national report on the implementation of the U.N. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) April 22 in Taipei City, highlighting Taiwan’s commitment to ensuring the rights of all members of society.   Taiwan has codified six international human rights conventions into domestic law, Chen said, adding that the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons From Enforced Disappearance was passed by the Executive Yuan in February, while legislation for others, i ..read more