“Zero Day Attack” (2025, 10 ep) premiered on Public Television Service in Taiwan on August 2, 2025. It’s available for streaming in Japan through Amazon Japan; and in Taiwan on PTS+, Line TV, MyVideo, and Hami Video. Listen: ghostisland.media/en/shows/tai...

CHENG began her career as a journalist covering national disasters and crises, most notably the 921 Earthquake in 1999 and the SARS outbreak in 2003. She is hopeful about the Taiwanese society's ability to unite during stress.

In computer terms, Zero-Day (0-Day) is a security flaw of the software, hardware, or firmware that’s unknown to developers. CHENG explains that for Taiwan, the most vulnerable period would be the 4 months between a presidential election and the inauguration.

The term Zero-Day (Z Day) used to describe the notional date of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was first used by security analyst Ian Easton in his 2017 book, “The Chinese Invasion Threat”. He laid out the Zero Day scenario: blockade, amphibious landing, then a total takeover.

CHENG discusses how self-censorship in the creative industries have typically prevented political stories from being developed, funded, and produced. Potential funders shied away from the project, and in some cases, entire talent agencies refused to participate.

“Zero Day Attack” (零日攻擊) is a 10-episode drama that imagines Taiwanese internal divide and cohesion after the Chinese PLA have launched an invasion of Taiwan. Each ep is about a different aspect of society: military, media, cyber attack, religious and business communities.

We've edited in some highlights here. Check this out. And then, listen to my conversation with Nathan Batto on "The Great Recall of 2025" -

Podcast: gimpod.me/recall-listen
Apple Pod: gimpod.me/recall-apple
Spotify: gimpod.me/recall-spotify
www.youtube.com/shorts/Ll6gv...

This newest one is a music video sung in Taiwanese/Tai-gi, with archival footage of democracy activism during and after martial law. The release of this video coincides with anniversary of 38 years since 38 years of martial law: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClDn...

This is on "removing facial moles" is with puppetry. A staff favorite at Ghost Island Media: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP4l...

This short film is about "doing your homework". Father yells at son for not studying, only to realize he also needs to be responsible for society. Meanwhile, his wife is an organizer. Directed by Wang Shaudi 王小棣 whose father was General with CKS: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQwy...

This very first one is about "taking out the trash". A person sees a pile of trash on the street, begins yelling at the trash. A second person comes by, and takes away the trash: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky-X...

Something we only briefly mentioned is "Taiwan Action" - the series of online films by a 100 filmmakers in Taiwan. They are music videos, reels, mini documentaries, short films, get out the vote films. Multiple of them have surpassed million views.

We also discuss the impact of a perpetual election cycle. This recall affects more than 1/4 of elected members. (That's 24 out 79 elected seats - in a house of 113 legislators). By-elections will be held in the fall for districts that meet the threshold.

Phase 1 and 2 of recall bids were more successful in cities than in rural communities. The varying social cost of participation could be one reason to this, Batto explains.

Nathan Batto shared so much insights and analysis on the recall movement. We spoke about how thresholds were lowered in 2016 (the Sunflower Movement), why bids were more successful in cities vs rural communities (social cost), and the impact of a perpetual election cycle (behavior change).

Aurélien Rossanino et Wafa Ghermani ainsent question de l’histoire de la reconnaissance du cinéma taïwanais dans le monde, de ses liens avec le Japon et de l’un de ses thèmes phares : les trains. Avis donc aux amateurs d’aventures ferroviaires et aux cinéphiles curieux !

Wafa Ghermani raconte Taïwan, sa société, ses conflits internes, ses paradoxes à travers des films rares, en abordant aussi bien le cinéma populaire que les œuvres de propagande ou les films d’auteur.

This is the only international podcast competition with a category dedicated to non-English productions. Thank you to the team at IWPA - International Women's Podcast Awards for putting this together year after year! Award ceremony is set for June 17th, 2025 at the BBC Radio Theatre in London.