Enigma: The Chinese Crested Tern
尋找神話之鳥
91 mins | 2021 | 梁皆得 Chieh-Te Liang
After being named in 1861, the Chinese Crested Terns have rarely been spotted. Is it simply a myth or may the bird still exist today? During an accidental equipment malfunction in 2000, the wildlife photographer Chieh-Te Liang discovered the Chinese Crested Tern in Mazu island, which was deemed extinct over 60 years ago. Since then, many enthusiasts travel around remote islands in Asia and face the dangers of the sea just to witness this mythical bird. Two decades after the journey to rediscover the mythical bird, their population increased from 8 to about 100, thanks to preservation efforts across various countries. However, the annual typhoons as well as various interventions from mankind still significantly threaten the survivorship of the Chinese Crested Tern. This is a story of nature bringing Liang together with other enthusiasts and specialists to document the mythical bird.
頂著黑色羽冠、前端像沾到黑色墨水的橘色嘴喙、一身淺灰白色的羽毛，這種在1861年被人類命名以來就鮮少見其蹤影的燕鷗，究竟只是個神話，還是真實存在世界上？
2000年，一次底片調光機的故障讓生態攝影師梁皆得在馬祖意外發現60幾年前被認為絕種的黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗。自此，對神話之鳥懷有夢想的人們穿梭在亞洲各國沿海無數個無人小島之間，有時遭遇大雨風浪，有時冒著跌入大海的危險，只為能再發現牠們的蹤跡。尋找神話之鳥二十年，牠們的數量從八隻，到現在約一百隻，仰賴著遷徙路徑上各國的保育行動。然而，每年夏天颱風對繁殖地的侵襲，撿鳥蛋、海洋垃圾、魚類資源減少等自然與人為的破壞，仍對黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗的生存造成龐大威脅。生態攝影師梁皆得跟隨各國學者專家，紀錄黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗、當地熱愛這些鳥類的人們，與自然環境三者相互交織的故事。
The rediscovery of the Chinese Crested Tern is like a beam of light shining through the cracks. Witnessing a bird that was declared extinct due to an equipment malfunction was a near magical experience. This breakthrough garnered attention from enthusiasts and academics around the world, and initiated a 20-year journey for Liang to search for and fully document this mythical bird. TFFB hopes to share the rare footage of the Chinese Crested Tern’s habitat and migration path through Liang’s perspective, as well as their natural and manmade threats. This journey of rediscovery is to remind us of the possibility of a miracle. Perhaps if we are willing to change course and restore nature, it’ll never be too late to bring hope and light to the ecosystem.
一度被宣告絕種的黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗，竟意外地在梁皆得導演色調失調的底片修復過程中被發現。有如在時間洪流黑暗的裂縫中，見到那希望的一束光。波士頓影展期望帶領大家跟著梁導的鏡頭，一同見證黑嘴端鳳頭燕鷗再次繁衍的記錄，探尋「神話之鳥」的棲地、遷徙路徑和其生存環境中潛在的人為與自然威脅。這趟追尋「神話之鳥」的旅程提醒著我們，就算是面對瀕臨絕種的物種，只要願意即時做出改變，仍然有希望創造一個人類與其他物種共存共榮的環境
Director 梁皆得 Chieh-Te Liang
Chieh-Te Liang has been passionate about birds since his childhood. After middle school, he became an apprentice in carpentry and later became an ornithology research assistant in 1987. He started documenting wildlife through his camera in 1992 and subsequently produced his first work “The Lanyu Scops Owl”, which became the first domestically produced wildlife documentary featured on The Discovery Channel. He later produced documentaries for official agencies, such as “Soaring Above the Range”, and collaborated with international film crews multiple times. Liang has earned recognition from the Golden Horse Award, Golden Bell Award, Golden Harvest Award, and other international film festivals. In 2015, his film “Fly, Kite Fly” presented the intricate relationship between birds, humans and the environment, and raised awareness around the excessive use of chemical fertilizers.
梁皆得，自幼喜歡鳥類，國中畢業後到鹿港學習木工，1987年退伍後在中研院動物所當鳥類研究助理，1992年開始拿著攝影機記錄鳥類多采多姿的生活史。1995年第一部作品《ㄉㄨ ㄉㄨ ㄨ蘭嶼角鴞的故事》成為國內第一部在國家地理頻道播放的生態影片。而後幫公務單位拍攝相關紀錄片，如《草山鷹飛》、《菱池倩影》等，並多次與國際團隊合作拍攝。2015年完成紀錄片《老鷹想飛》，呈現鳥類、環境與人類密不可分的關係，引發社會上對農藥過量使用的關注。歷年作品曾獲得金馬獎、金穗獎、金鐘獎以及國外影展的肯定。