00:01College student Zheng Yuen is at this press conference in Taipei,
00:05representing students from over 50 universities.
00:09He's part of an initiative to host a film festival about Taiwan's authoritarian past,
00:14a period lasting from 1949 to 1992, also known as the White Terror.
00:38This comes amid growing interest in Taiwan's modern history and the struggle over how to portray it.
00:44In February, a film depicting the 1980 murders of family members of a key democracy figure
00:50had its release date postponed.
00:53The movie has stirred controversy over its accuracy and lack of consent from the victim's family.
00:58Still, documentary director Li Hui-ren says film is an important medium for educating the public about Taiwan's dark past,
01:06one that many people are oblivious to.
01:09We often say that time is the biggest enemy's memory.
01:13Many people say that it's been so long and everyone has forgotten that
01:17the university will not be able to study these things.
01:20But it's really important.
01:21If a country has no history memory, that's very scary.
01:24Because you don't know if this land has happened.
01:27Like a lot of students, they don't know if they don't know what happened.
01:32Film researcher Chen Junhong says he hopes the government can expand education about the White Terror to elementary schools
01:39and make these films available to the public for free.
02:03The festival includes around two dozen films, which the organizers plan to show at universities around the country,
02:10with the goal of getting more students and professors in on the initiative.
02:14Those here say they hope the memories of these tragic events won't fade with time
02:18and that future generations will continue to learn more about Taiwan's fight for democracy and human dignity.
02:24Zhang Su and Nairing Lin in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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