Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) An annual European film festival will take place this year on various university campuses throughout the nation in hopes of increasing Taiwan's understanding to the European Union, the head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taipei said Wednesday.
"There is no better way to understand the culture of a country than through watching films, because audiences can see the people, places, architecture and way of life in a movie, " said Guy Ledoux, who is the top EU representative in Taiwan.
The main purpose of the Dec.3-23 film festival, which is now in its third year, is increasing the Taiwanese people's understanding of Europe, Ledoux said.
A total of 10 films, representing 10 of the 15 EU member states with offices in Taiwan, will be screened during the third Taiwan European Film Festival, which was launched in 2005.
One difference this year is that organizers will be screening the films on university campuses rather than theaters with the idea of targeting university students.
"Hopefully, students will get a feeling of what Europe is like by watching the films and become interested in studying in European countries after graduation, " said Cedric Alviani, General Director of Infine Art and Culture Exchange, the co-organizer of the event.
For movie lovers and Taiwanese film workers, the film festival also presents a great opportunity to appreciate the works of some bright, young European directors, Alviani said.
A wide variety of topics are featured in the 10 films, which are being made available to Taiwanese audience with the assistance of various foreign representative offices, Ledoux said. The Polish film "Chopin: Desire for Love" portrays a love affair of well-known Polish piano composer Frederic Chopin, while "The Lives of Others, " an Academy-award winning German film, tells the story of East Germany's secret police, he said.
People say there are 27 member states in the EU, which makes it difficult to understand them all, Ledoux said.
"But that's exactly what's distinctive about the European Union. We [the EU] let all the countries be themselves, enjoy their traditions, and at the same time try to work together to make people's lives better, " he added.
Films will be screened at 12 universities: Soochow University, National Cheng Chi University, Shih Hsin University, Chinese Culture University, National Taiwan Normal University, Central University, Tunghai University, Providence University, National Chung Cheng University, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan University of the Arts and Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages, and also at the Image Museum of Hsinchu City and Kaohsiung Film Archive.
All films will be screened on DVDs, some without Chinese subtitles due to copyright issues, Alviani said.