Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia 2012

“The Environmentalist” Jacob Bond／Canada

This year, in June 2012, I had the delight of attending the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia in Tokyo, Japan and was fortunate to win the Best Short Film in the STOP! Global Warming Competition. Winning this category came as a complete surprise, there were many competitors, and the grandness of accepting the award in person amongst such great filmmakers and judges left me almost speechless.
Our film, The Environmentalist, is a dark comedy about a man who is trying to save the world from environmental devastation before it is too late. The film takes a comical look at the extremes of both sides of global environmental issues and I used characters in the film to represent these extremes. Our film was shot in one day with a modest budget. The film turned out exceptionally well because it is a thoughtful story that affects everyone and because it was produced with an extremely talented cast and crew. Thank you cast, crew and everyone that pitched in to help make our short film a success.
I must also express my deepest appreciation to the Short Shorts Film Festival organizers and judges for screening The Environmentalist and for selecting the film for the top honor of Best Short Film in the STOP! Global Warming Competition. As well, thank you to the Ministry of the Environment who provided such a beautifully crafted award. Once again, thank you very much to the judges, organizers and volunteers at Short Shorts! You all put on a truly amazing festival that was a pleasure to attend and inspires myself, and others, to forge ahead as filmmakers.

“Cherish”Cheng-Yang Wang／Taiwan

Mr. Wei humbly rejected our filming at the beginning because for him, recycling is merely a daily routine, like drinking water. He did not consider it as a proper subject for a documentary. But this is what we told him: As easy and simple recycling may appear to us, it is this exact reason why so often it is neglected. Perhaps with the film, more people would be willing to take up the habit. Every day, we follow the life of an ordinary citizen who has an extraordinary life attitude. He is a man who takes actions to live up to his vision. He has shown us that everyone can protect our environment anytime and anywhere, “Just do it!” It is a tremendous encouragement for both Mr. Wei and our crew to be given this great honor. We are very grateful to the guidance from producer Peggy Chiao, the support from the Taipei Department of Labor, and the assistance from Kaohsiung Film Festival.
Thanks to you that our film Cherish can touch the heart of more audience and make a difference.