PR-1018 | March 19, 2010
The American Institute in Taiwan is delighted with the response to the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge from filmmakers in Taiwan. The Democracy Video Challenge, a worldwide film competition aimed at enhancing the global dialogue on democracy, asks budding filmmakers, democracy advocates, and the general public to create video shorts that complete the phrase, “Democracy is…”
AIT Facebook Fans and Judging Panel to Select Best Films from Taiwan.
AIT invites its Facebook fans to choose their favorite from the films that have already passed the first cut. To vote, please visit AIT’s Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/AIT.FB/193725958489
The site will accept votes from 9:00 a.m. Monday, March 22 until 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 29, 2010. Interested individuals who do not yet use Facebook or who are not already Fans of AIT’s Facebook page are encouraged to sign up.
Films should be judged according to the following criteria:
- 40% Overall Impact (demonstrates the meaning and value of democracy)
- 40% Creativity (contains original concepts, ideas and storytelling style)
- 20% Production Values (image quality, editing and sound)
A panel made up of representatives of democracy and film-related organizations from Taiwan will choose the other two winners from Taiwan.
The three films selected as Taiwan’s best will compete to be chosen as one of the three finalists for the East Asia and the Pacific region. AIT will also present each of the directors of the three films with a cash prize.
“I would like to thank all of the directors, writers, actors, musicians and designers from Taiwan who contributed their talents to the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge. I was deeply impressed by the thought-provoking content and artistic style of the films, which feature both live action and animation. I hope people from throughout Taiwan will visit AIT’s Facebook site to help us select a winner,” said Scott Robinson, Director of AIT’s American Cultural Center.
Worldwide Competition
Over 450 films were submitted worldwide to the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge. The Challenge will ultimately honor seven winning videos: one each from East Asia and the Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Near East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, and one anonymous video. The winning videos will be selected by global online voting on YouTube from May 15 to June 15, 2010. Winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the United States that includes screenings of their videos in New York, Hollywood and Washington; meetings with film directors, public officials and democracy advocates from non-governmental organizations; and visits to film sets and TV program sets.
A Chance to Share Views on the Films
AIT also invites members of the general public to share their views on the films and the topic of democracy on AIT’s Facebook page. AIT will honor the author of the comment that most advances the discussion of democracy by awarding him or her a copy of Ephraim Katz’s The Film Encyclopedia: The Complete Guide to Film and the Film Industry (6th Edition.)
Partners of the Challenge
Taiwan partners of the Challenge include the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, the Council for Cultural Affairs, the Chinese Taipei Film Archive, the Taiwan Film and Culture Association, SPOT Taipei Film House, National Taiwan University of the Arts, the School of Continuing Education of the Chinese Culture University, and National Taipei University of the Arts. U.S. Challenge partners include the Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, the Center for International Private Enterprise, New York University, USC Annenberg School for Communication, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.
For more information about the Challenge, please visit: http://www.videochallenge.america.gov/.