A SHORT film competition kicked off yesterday to promote ties between young people on the mainland and in Taiwan and to cultivate talent in film production and cultural innovation.

The competition is open to Chinese and foreigners aged from 18 to 36, for a 10 minute film with the theme of “We Love.”

Applicants should tell original stories of Shanghai or Taipei showcasing their different backgrounds and views of life.

The competition encourages filmmakers to cooperate across both sides of the Taiwan Strait, to improve communication and understanding.

Sixty will be shortlisted and invited to Shanghai in June to attend a training camp, hear film greats and meet them face to face.

Ten films will be recommended for the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.

They will also be screened in cinemas and on hundreds of college campuses on the mainland and in Taiwan in the second half of the year.

“Love is a common emotion shared by all people and the organizers decided to focus on short film as it is easier to be spread on portable devices, such as smartphones, loved by young people” said Huang Qiang, chief editor of Wenhui Daily, an organizer of the competition.

“Short film or micro film is also more popular among modern people, who prefer to use fragmented time to watch videos,” said Li Yizhong, one of the judges of the competition and a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Taiwan producer Hong-yuan Chen, one of the judges, said it is easier to make films now because of the widespread use of smartphones and computers.

“When I was young, we could only use professional cameras and editing machines, which were too expensive for a college student to afford,” he said.

“So we had to seek help everywhere to produce one film. Now, people can easily shoot videos with their handsets and edit on their laptops. I’m looking forward to seeing the products of young people with rich imaginations.”

The deadline is April 30.

Information is available at http://www.shxfuture.com/mainland/index.aspx.