Faith-Based Short Films in Taiwan

In Taiwan, there are many creative Christians who are using media and the arts to impact their generation with the Gospel. In this article (originally posted on createtaiwan.com), I feature three Christian YouTube filmmakers using different approaches to sharing their faith, in both English and Chinese.

Although our office is in Taiwan, our focus on creating media has not been for the Taiwanese people alone, but for people groups all over the world. The church here is mature and growing, with many congregations in Chinese, Taiwanese and other languages.

The government of Taiwan has plans in place to become a bilingual nation by the year 2030. In school, students are taught both English and Chinese and depending on the interest of the student, many have the ability to enjoy watching films in either language with subtitles.

Media That Bridges Cultures

Jacob and Emily, living in Taichung, are missionaries to Taiwan as part of a media team. They post online as Pilgrimage Films. “Pilgrimage Films exists to bring you with us on the missionary journey. By creating faith-based content for students and families, Pilgrimage shows the often-unseen world of missionaries, religions and cultures.” Check out the Pilgrimage Films Holiday Specials. Even local Taiwanese watch the films to get a different perspective of their culture from a foreign point of view.

Peter and Oliver, from Christ’s College in Taipei, post as Ribs Films. “The Ribs crew answers the common questions about Christianity by the public in a puzzle-solving way.” (Translated from Chinese.) These films have helped reduce barriers of cultural misunderstandings that can keep Taiwanese from embracing the gospel as their own.

Media That Transforms Cultures

Maggie, living in Kaohsiung, works with Ray of Light Studio which posts on YouTube. “Ray of Light Studio’s vision is for people to know the Christian faith through arts! God gives people gifts in film, theater, dance, music, and more. We hope that through these mediums, people will come to know the love of God and His truth. His love is life changing.” One of their four short films became the official video of the International Christian Film & Music Festival.

“In Taiwan, there are many creative Christians who are using media and the arts to impact their generation with the Gospel.”

It is our hope that by seeing how the good news of the gospel can be communicated through media in Taiwan, Christians in other countries can also be encouraged to use and create media to reach this world. Our ministry will focus on training teams from least reached nations that need the tools and skills to reach their own people with their own style and content.