Premiere held for Taiwan's 1st North-South Pole nature doc

Taipei, April 24 (CNA) Taiwan's first nature documentary spanning the Arctic and Antarctic, filmed across 115 locations globally over 15 years, premiered Thursday in Taipei.

"Guardians of Our Planet" (守護我們的星球), produced and directed by television host Claire Meng-lan Shu (舒夢蘭), is also Taiwan's first nature documentary advocating for Earth and ecology from a Taiwanese perspective, according to the film's distributor, Activator Co., Ltd.

"Whether the planet becomes better or worse is decided by us," said Shu at the premiere.

The Polar regions are not that distant, given how they influence our lives, while humans' activities affect the fates of creatures living in those regions, she said, adding that climate change is highly relevant to Taiwan as it is an island.

Shu said she felt small when she first stepped onto the ice fields of the Polar regions. However, looking back 15 years later, she realized that humans were powerful in melting the massive glaciers.

She and her team visited the Polar regions 10 times during the 15 years, capturing the melting ice and the helplessness of creatures living in the regions, she said.

The film is a pledge from Taiwan to the Earth, Shu said.

"Only when we understand do we care; and only when we care will we truly change," she said.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), attending the event, said the film showed the "unimaginable" speed with which the Polar regions are being destroyed.

He added that Shu's ambition in making the film was also "unimaginable."

Lai said that the government is duty-bound to save the planet.

He established a climate change committee at the Presidential Office after his inauguration in May 2024 to research and discuss reducing Taiwan's carbon emissions with the industrial and academic sectors, he said.

As a member of the global community, Taiwan should be a role model in responding to climate change, Lai said.

The movie will officially hit theaters on May 23.