Protect Emei River! "Walk Back the Stream" won the Hakka Video Story Award, and tickets are now available for tour screenings

The 82-hectare development project in the upper reaches of Emei River in Hsinchu County has attracted local attention. Beipu Emei youth have long been involved in stream protection and environmental issues, and now they are shown on the big screen through the documentary "Bringing Back the Stream". Directors Peng Haoyun and Huang Yutong of the Emei River Protection Video Team spent nearly three years filming. They participated in the Hakka Committee's "Hakka Video Story" project and won the annual theme award. They also took away the top prize of NT$500,000. Starting in November, it will be screened in Taipei, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, inviting the public to understand the process of local youths protecting their hometown through the video.

"Walk the Stream Back" takes the 82-hectare development project in the upper reaches of Emei River as the background and records the process of young people starting from caring about the environment of their hometown and gradually investing in stream investigation, local communication and discussion of public issues. The development base is located in the mountainous area at the junction of Emei and Baoshan. Due to its proximity to the upper reaches of Emei River and the Dabu Reservoir catchment area, local residents and environmental groups are worried about the impact on soil and water conservation, water source water quality and ecological habitats. They also question whether the phased development has fully assessed the overall environmental impact. Relevant disputes continue to attract local attention.

Both directors have deep connections to place. Peng Haoyun has been shooting images since he was a high school student. He has devoted himself to documentary creation for many years and was recognized by the Golden Bell Award. Huang Yutong participated in local youth actions and gradually devoted himself to stream protection and recording work starting from the first time he went up a stream at night. Through nearly three years of filming, the two intertwined environmental issues, youth participation and local emotions into a documentary work.

Gu Xiufei, chairperson of the Hakka Village Committee, mentioned that water is an important element in nurturing Hakka settlements, beliefs and industries. By building water conservancy facilities such as water towns and ponds, the ancestors overcame the limitations of the natural environment and laid the foundation for settlement development. However, with the changes of the times, problems such as destruction of the natural environment, man-made development and environmental pollution have also caused Hazhuang water culture to face new challenges. We hope to record the history of water culture and contemporary environmental challenges with images, and pass on cultural assets and sustainable development concepts to the next generation.

A total of 19 works won awards in this year's "Hakka Image Story", with a total prize of NT$2.2 million. The annual theme award was won by the Guardian Emei River Image Team for "Bringing Back the Stream". It will be screened at the Hsinchu City Image Museum at 11:30 am on the 15th, and will be shown at the Kaohsiung City Cinematheque at 2 pm on the 22nd. Tickets are free (https://hakkaimage.com/festival), and a post-screening discussion with the director will be arranged to communicate with the audience.