Taiwanese actor Joseph Cheng (鄭元暢) has weighed in on the nation’s ongoing anti-nuclear movement by releasing an eight-minute short film on Friday comparing the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) to blind affection that he said could fall into a crisis at any second.
The film, The Symptoms of Love (愛情的症狀), was premiered at the latest of a series of anti-nuclear events held by film directors under the banner of the “No Fourth Nuclear Plant, Five Six Movement” (不要核四、五六運動) at Liberty Square in Taipei. The Five Six Movement is an anti-nuclear campaign initiated on March 15 by several cultural heavyweights, including film director Ko I-chen (柯一正) and writer Hsiao Yeh (小野).
It brings together individuals who oppose nuclear energy every Friday night at Liberty Square to raise public awareness of the underlying dangers posed by the controversy-plagued power plant.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
Drawing an analogy between the power plant and love, Cheng said: “We all enjoy love and need love, but blind love is dangerous and could spark off a crisis at any time.”
Cheng said he had taken a neutral stance by neither supporting nor opposing nuclear power, until recently, the anti-nuclear efforts by Ko and film director Zero Chou (周美玲), along with the wide media coverage on the issue, prompted him to realize the need for a nuclear-free homeland.
“All of us need a safe homeland and hope ourselves and the next generations can live in a safe place. I disapprove of the idea of spending lots of money building a dangerous ticking time bomb,” Cheng said.
The film’s cast included actor Danny Liang (梁正群) and actress Serena Fang (房思瑜), Cheng said, adding that his acquaintance, actress Michelle Chen (陳妍希), helped narrate the short film.
Cheng added that although the film was only eight minutes long, it took him about a year to make.
The film met with applause from the event’s participants, including Cheng’s mentor, veteran director Arthur Chu (瞿友寧), who gave Cheng a thumbs-up as a gesture of support.
Cheng said on the sidelines of the event that the anti-nuclear movement was tantamount to a romantic relationship because both of them required time to heat up.
“I hope my identity as a public figure will not only help heat up the anti-nuclear movement, but also bring the issue to the attention of many other neutral people,” Cheng said.
Tokyo-based Taiwanese writer Liu Li-erh (劉黎兒) and her husband, professional chess player Wang Ming-wan (王銘琬), also attended the event.
“While the public focuses mainly on the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, the conditions of the nation’s other three nuclear power plants have also reached an alarming stage and need to be abolished right away,” Wang said.
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