■ Movies
GIO unveils promotional film
The Government Information Office (GIO) unveiled a short film yesterday as part of its efforts to revive the sagging local movie industry. In the short film, titled Taiwan Film Anna, GIO Director-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) plays a "Dragon Brother" trying hard to please "Taiwan Film Anna," who is played by a fashion model, to symbolize the government's strenuous efforts at revitalizing the sagging movie industry. Lin said at the presentation that it took six hours for him to shoot the six scenes in the film. "My acting skills are lousy, but I thought my appearance might be humorous and thus help raise local people's concern for our movie industry," Lin said. Since Lin assumed his current post, the GIO has formed a special commission to review the government's policy regarding the local film industry and to work out measures to remove any obstacles to the development of the industry.
■ Politics
Candidate walking for votes
Non-Partisan Solidarity Union (NPSU, 無黨團結聯盟) legislative candidate Lin Ming-yi (林明義) hit the road yesterday for a 16-day walk around Yunlin County to drum up support prior to the legislative elections. Lin, who joined the NPSU in recent months after having a falling out with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), was accompanied by his mother, NPSU Chairwoman Chang Po-ya (張博雅), NPSU Secretary-General Chen Chieh-ju and supporters at a ceremony marking the beginning of his trek. He is scheduled to walk across all 20 cities, townships and rural townships around Yunlin County over the next 16 days. Lin said that he will walk around the county to help raise Yunlin residents' political awareness and bring them "out of the darkness and deception" which he claimed has long clouded politics in the region. Lin, who had been a KMT legislator for three terms before 2001, is the only candidate that the newly-established NPSU is fielding in Yunlin County.
■ Television
TV festival held in Taipei
The 2004 Taipei TV Festival opened at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall yesterday. The exhibition features a "TV Mall" section for ordinary visitors, which runs through Sunday, and a "TV Market" section for professionals, which will run from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30. The "TV Mall" has gathered 38 exhibitors with a total of 271 booths. A variety of themes are covered, including frequency platforms, TV shopping, home appliances, digital multi-media, audio/video publications, cartoons and digital content value-added applications. The "TV Market" will feature 93 exhibitors with a total of 268 booths.
■ Diplomacy
Officials invited
Representatives from several Latin American countries are expected to visit Taiwan next month, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Ho Ching-shan (侯清山), director-general of the ministry's Central and South American Affairs Department, said Taiwan has invited officials from El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Paraguay. Foreign dignitaries who have promised to visit include Salvadoran Econo-mics Minister Yolanda Mayora de Gavidia, Guatemalan Economics Minister Marcio Cuevas, Paraguayan Foreign Minister Marcial Bobadilla Guillen, and Dominican Presidential Office Secretary-General Danilo Medina Sanchez. Most of the scheduled visits are for the purpose of discussing economic affairs.
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