NCKU and Pingtung County collaborate to help local students host an elderly-friendly film festival.-國立成功大學永續發展SDGs

The Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) at NCKU held a "Aging Friendly Generation Community" film production workshop at the Hakka Cultural Center in Pingtung County. In the afternoon of December 24th, the celebration was held to showcase the film results, bringing together local junior high and high school students and volunteers from the Aging Friendly community to celebrate the day.

The theme of this workshop was "Joyful Aging Living in Liugdui." It focused on the Zhutian Xishi Aging Friendly Area. Over 9 weeks of learning in audiovisual narrative creation, the students explored local knowledge and produced a series of short films that integrate "Hakka culture" and the "vision of aging friendliness."

Professor Le-kun Tan from the Department of Taiwanese Literature at NCKU, who serves as the head of the Administrative Planning Group at NCKU's RCHSS, stated that the NCKU team invited film professionals to teach skills and led students in field investigations and filming with local volunteers. This exploration aimed to deepen the students' connection with their community environment. Through the media exhibition, the event brought together people of all ages in Zhutian Xishi, fostering local identity and culminating in a meaningful film festival at the end of the year.

Deputy Magistrate Li-Xue Wu of Pingtung County, one of the guests at the event, emphasized the county government's strong support for the project, directing relevant agencies to fully cooperate, which greatly contributed to the success of the initiative. During the event, Deputy Magistrate Wu, along with Jia-Hui Qiu, Head of the Health Bureau's Health Section, and Shan-Ning Qiu, Head of the Folk Art Section of the Hakka Affairs Department, presented various awards to outstanding students.

The films showcased at the festival delved into lesser-known aspects of the lives of the community elders, often evoking heartfelt smiles from the audience with their humorous and touching plots. Student Yue Qiu remarked, "The workshop content and instructors are top-notch, comparable to courses offered in the market. We are grateful for the guidance and support from the NCKU team, and we hope to participate eagerly in future advanced courses. Students will definitely participate enthusiastically again."

"In this film festival, seeing local students integrating local language, culture, and humanistic care into their film creations is deeply moving," said Fu-Yuan Lee, a volunteer from Aging Friendly, choked with emotion. He thanked the NCKU team and the Pingtung County government for their years of support in realizing the "local aging, local care" action of aging friendliness and expressed gratitude to all partners for their joint efforts, hoping that local students will continue to pass on the positive knowledge and concepts of Aging Friendly.