Prague: Tom¡‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡ Po‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡tulka, head of the One World film festival, invited Taiwan to join the Human Rights Film Network (HRFN) during a meeting with Taiwan's Culture Minister Li Yuan in Prague on Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the HRFN is a partnership of over 50 independent human rights film festivals from more than 50 countries. One of its founding members is the One World International Human Rights Film Festival, the largest human rights film festival in Central Europe. Founded in 1999, One World has introduced human rights documentaries and films from around the world to the Czech Republic, Po‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡tulka said.

Each year, the festival showcases approximately 90 feature films, 10 short films, and 10 VR works in various public places, including movie theaters, colleges, restaurants, and even train stations. Taiwanese entries featured at the festival in the past include documentaries "And Miles to Go Before I Sleep" and "Kinmen," and the VR film "The Man Who Couldn't Leave."

Po‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡tulka told Li that he looked forward to future cooperation between One World and the Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival (TIHRFF). As a member of the HRFN, he also expressed hope that Taiwan would join the network.

Li stated that expanding the scale of the Taiwan International Human Rights Film Festival was among his first priorities since he took office on May 20, 2024. He hoped one day the festival could be the third biggest film festival in Taiwan, following the Golden Horse Awards and the Taipei Film Festival. Li added that both Taiwan and the Czech Republic have rich and complex cultural histories. Human rights, a universal value, will be the strongest link connecting the two countries to the world.

The meeting with Po‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡tulka is part of Li's trip to Europe. The minister arrived in France on Sunday and traveled to the Czech Republic on Wednesday.