As the 2025 China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival concluded in Xiamen, a series of events focused on cross-Strait film exchange produced concrete results. During the festival, filmmakers from Taiwan brought films and cooperation projects to meet mainland audiences and filmmakers. Through film screenings, film, TV and IP presentations, and short film screenings and other formats, the festival built a comprehensive, multi-level platform for exchange and cooperation between filmmakers on both sides of the Strait, promoting integration and joint development of the film and TV industries across the Strait.
This year’s Golden Rooster Film Screening presented 15 works from Taiwan, and the creative teams of several films attended screenings to talk with audiences. The films included classics such as Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, which centers on the Musha Incident, as well as recent works such as Shadow of the Lûkong Canal, Gatao: Fight Together, Yen and Ai-Lee, 96 Minutes and March. They represent recent work by Taiwan filmmakers in genre filmmaking, choice of subject and the development of new talent.
The post-screening discussions were lively, with audiences asking questions and filmmakers answering openly. The Gatao series has been a box-office IP for Taiwan, China, over the past decade, and its large following, together with its extensive Minnan-language dialogue, gave Gatao: Fight Together strong appeal among film fans in Xiamen. Although the screening ended close to midnight, the cinema was full, and the filmmakers and young audience members talked to each other in Minnan amid laughter and applause, reflecting the idea that people on both sides of the Strait are one family.
At the pre-screening discussion of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, director Wei Te-sheng spoke candidly with the audience about film, history and conviction. Wei said that although he had known of the Musha Incident since childhood, what moved him was Chiu Ruo-lung’s comic Musha Incident, which he read in one sitting. “It made my blood boil!” From then on, the idea of bringing this history to the screen took root.
Both parts of Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale rank among the top five Taiwan films at the Taiwan box office; combined, the two parts are the highest-grossing Taiwan film in Taiwan’s box office history. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration. As a major epic of resistance against Japanese aggression in the 120-year history of Chinese cinema, the film’s screening at the Golden Rooster Film Screening carried particular significance.
Short films are often the path by which young filmmakers move into features. This year’s 6th Golden Rooster Cross-Strait, Hong Kong & Macao Youth Short Film Season served as an important platform for exchange between young filmmakers from both sides of the Strait. The season received 144 short films from the Taiwan region; 10 reached the final round and 3 were selected as recommended films of the year. Through calls for entries, awards, screenings and discussions, young filmmakers from both sides had more opportunities for in-depth exchange.
On November 14, at the Hong Kong and Taiwan screening of the Golden Rooster Cross-Strait, Hong Kong & Macao Youth Short Film Season, two young directors from Taiwan talked about their work after the screening. Chao Szu-chi, director of Three Drops of Water, said the film was inspired by the traditional fable “Three Monks,” while Yang Chieh, director of Hell’s Tear Department, hoped the film would help her overcome barriers with her father. Their films showed how closely young filmmakers on both sides of the Strait align on traditional culture and contemporary issues.
Now in its third edition, the Golden Rooster Promotion Conference · Taiwan Session is becoming an important bridge between the film and TV industries across the Strait. This year’s session presented 9 Taiwan film projects and 5 literary IPs, spanning suspense, drama, comedy, fantasy and other genres, showing the range of subjects and storytelling in Taiwan cinema and the ambitions of Taiwan filmmakers in IP development and commercial expansion.
The conference has led to concrete results. Only a Fool Would Love You and Don’t Miss You, both presented at earlier Golden Rooster Promotion Conferences, were released in mainland cinemas this year. Through systematic presentations, filmmakers on both sides of the Strait are cooperating from the story stage onward, bringing more good Chinese stories to the screen and to audiences worldwide.
In addition to the conference, GRIFF Industry held two filmmakers’ nights this year: Strait Film Night and Golden Rooster Chinese-Language Film Night. Filmmakers from both sides of the Strait talked in a relaxed atmosphere, with film strengthening cultural ties across the Strait. Short film makers and feature filmmakers, established and emerging, gathered at GRIFF Industry to explore new forms of expression for Chinese-language cinema and promote cultural development on both sides. At the Golden Rooster Chinese-Language Filmmakers’ Night, several new Taiwan films were introduced by their makers; with the Golden Rooster as their starting point, they will soon open in cinemas across the country.
The 2025 Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival further developed a multi-dimensional platform for cross-Strait film and cultural exchange, promoting mutual understanding and practical cooperation between filmmakers on both sides through screenings, project presentations and other formats. These events presented the results of cross-Strait filmmaking and laid a foundation for deeper cooperation. Filmmakers on both sides of the Strait will continue to use film as a bridge to advance Chinese-language cinema.
Contributed by | Festival Film Screening Department
Editing/Proofreading/Layout | Festival Publicity Department
