"Fly into the Azure: Tainan's Bird Ecology Film" Receives International Award Recognition

**Special Screening of "Flying to the Blue Ocean: Taijiang Bird Ecology Film" Held**

The special screening of "Flying to the Blue Ocean: Taijiang Bird Ecology Film" was held at Spot Huashan Theater in Taipei. The film has won two major international awards: the Gold Medal in the "Nature & Wildlife" category at the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in the United States, and a Special Mention in the "Nature & Wildlife" category at the 2024 Global Film Competition. These awards recognize the exceptional achievements of Taiwan's national parks and the film crew in bird ecology conservation in Taijiang, enhancing Taiwan's international reputation.

**Taijiang Bird Ecology Film Documents Over 400 Bird Species**

Vice Minister of the Interior Ma Shi-yuan, who attended the special screening, noted that Taijiang is an important habitat for birds. The film's director, Liao Dongkun, spent over two years filming and documenting more than 400 species of wild birds, showcasing the bird ecological diversity in Taiwan. The diverse topography of Taiwan's national parks not only represents a key feature of Taiwan but also plays a crucial role in future ecological conservation and promotion. Guests of Honor and Attendees at the Special Screening of the Film "Flying to the Blue: Taijiang Bird Ecology Film" (Image: Ministry of the Interior website).

Vice Minister Ma emphasized that the Ministry of the Interior will leverage natural resources such as national parks, wetlands, and coastlines to promote Taiwan as a natural carbon sink and blue carbon source by 2050. This initiative aims to expand corporate participation in ecological conservation and encourage public understanding and engagement in environmental protection.

The special screening was attended by Director Liao Dongkun, Vice President of National Taiwan University Stone, S-T Ding, International Director Yuan Hsiao-wei, Chairperson of the Subtropical Ecology Society Jin Heng-biao, Chairman of the Republic of China River Environmental Association Cao Xian-shao, Secretary-General of the Wild Bird Federation of the Republic of China Lu Yi-wei, Executive Director of the Jane Goodall Institute Kuo Hsueh-chen, and former Director-General of the Planning and Development Agency Hsu Wen-long. Together, they watched this remarkable bird-themed film and expressed hope that Taiwan’s national parks will play a more active and significant role in biodiversity conservation, cross-regional cooperation, environmental education, and net-zero transformation, collaborating with the private sector to protect Taiwan's natural resources