ISU USR Team Wins Double Honors at the Taipei Golden Eagle Micro Movie Festival, Touching Audiences with a Powerful Story of Local Culture and Sustainability
The 9th Taipei Golden Eagle Micro Movie Festival took place on September 12 at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, attracting 150 participating organizations from industry, government, academia, and research, with 173 entries competing for top honors. Covering themes such as social inclusion, health promotion, environmental education, and the circular economy, the event saw ISU’s USR team stand out with its film “Xin Yuan Geng Xin: Yi Tong Shou Hu,” which won the Bronze Award for Sustainability Microfilm and Third Place in the Online Popularity Award with 24,024 votes. ISU was the only university in Taiwan to receive both honors, highlighting its strong commitment to community engagement and its growing momentum in advancing sustainable development.
ISU stated that receiving two awards in this competition not only recognizes the hard work of its USR team but also reflects the university’s growing visibility in its commitment to working with local communities and co-creating social value. The honor represents both an achievement and a continuing responsibility to advance the ideals of university social responsibility. Moving forward, ISU will stay focused on responding to societal needs through professional practice and nurturing interdisciplinary talent that carries a sustainable vision and a strong connection to local development, further integrating academic learning with meaningful social engagement. Chia-Jung Cho, Director of the Sustainable Development Research Center, noted, “Through this kind of practice, we hope to make the university a strong pillar of local sustainability, promoting the integration of agriculture, technology, and culture, and realizing the goal of ‘local connection and talent cultivation.’” The film is more than a creative production; it represents an intergenerational cultural legacy. Throughout the process, students not only strengthened their filmmaking skills but also immersed themselves in the community, working alongside farmers to help preserve invaluable cultural memories.
The film also serves as a meaningful extension of ISU’s USR initiatives, “Green Value, Innovative Footprints” and “Seasonal Agri-Food and Cultural Heritage.” By collaborating with the Xinyuan Township Office, local farmers, and students, the project brings together circular material reuse, carbon footprint auditing, smart agriculture, film production, brand management, and agricultural tourism, demonstrating the scope and impact of interdisciplinary cooperation. For students, it provided a chance to turn classroom knowledge into hands-on experience. For the community, ISU’s engagement sparked cultural revitalization and created new opportunities for local development.