It harks to Hung's dream of becoming a director, and he says the award was a surprise.

Hung majored in biology in college and began shooting films out of interest.

He met his wife, who's the film's producer, at college.

Hung sold the copyright to China's video-streaming platform, iQiyi.com, which made the film accessible to its VIP members.

"Maybe the idea of fighting for one's dreams is shared among young people," he says.

Lee says: "People across the Straits have much in common concerning tastes, values and emotional needs. Good stories based on shared feelings lay the foundation of further cooperation."

Taiwan's films and TV dramas are good at portraying Chinese culture in ways foreigners understand, she says.

"Taiwan's market is very small," she says.

"If a producer can't shoot films from an international angle, they'll find it difficult to survive."

Lee says the Chinese mainland is still Taiwan's biggest market and investment source.

Last year, the mainland's radio, film and television industries' total production value exceeded 500 billion yuan ($73.25 billion), Tong Gang, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said at the award ceremony.

"The past nine years have seen stable progress in cross-Straits communications in the film and television industries, ranging from programming to human resources, releases and distribution," Tong says.

The Chinese mainland's radio broadcasters, TV stations and websites are encouraged to introduce more of Taiwan's TV programs, films and cartoons. And people in Taiwan are also welcome to invest in the Chinese mainland's video and new-media sectors, he says.