January 1, 2012
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong
Written by Lydia Ma

Passion 99 Harvest Church is a church with a calling to minister to people struggling with depression. The church located in the glitzy, eastern district of Taipei City is very concerned that national statistics have revealed an increasing number of young people afflicted with clinical depression in recent years.

In response to these statistics and as part of its outreach ministry, Passion 99 Church recently filmed "Smile At It," a low-budget film, which premiered at 18:30 on December 20, 2011 at Cinemark in Living Mall. The church made a point to invite senior high school students from various schools to come to the movie's premiere after class and managed to fill every seat in the room for the viewing.

According to the film's producer, Pastor Hsiung Chin-sheng of Passion 99 Church, 3% of Taiwanese are struggling with depression right now. Medical journals have concluded that besides medical treatments, smiling can also dispel depression and keep a person healthy. This revelation inspired her to produce a film that would make people smile, let them experience the power of smiling and tell them about the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Most of the actors starring in this movie are members of Hsiung's church. Her hope is to use ordinary people, sense of humor, and heart-warming script to change widely held stereotypes in Taiwanese society.

When asked about challenges encountered during the filming process, Hsiung admitted that there were obstacles and hardships, but her team was able to resolve every problem one by one with an optimistic outlook – reinforcing the core message of the film. "If you can remain positive and smile at whatever problem you stumble upon, you will find that you can overcome every challenge!" she said.

After the film's release and premiere, the church plans to hold public viewings at various schools until January 13, 2012. Hsiung said that the church is currently applying for some government funding to make the movie available in DVD. If all goes well and the application is approved, more people will be able to see this movie, and learn about the power of a smile in warding off depression.

Taiwan Church News