The Taiwan grass owl is an endangered species in Taiwan and is the only type of grass owl that lives in bushes. The world has almost no knowledge of how grass owls live in the wild, and they are an extremely precious and mysterious species. In collaboration with National Geographic, the Foundation spent two and a half years filming Night Hunters-Taiwan's Grass Owls. Directed by Shou-yi Yang and Jun-ming Wan of the Golden Bell Awards Living Water Production Team, this film documents the real lives of the species through film, conveying environmental and conservation issues. Apart from highlighting the painstaking efforts of conservationists and rescue workers, the documentary shows viewers the endangered and mysterious Taiwan grass owls that number less than 500 in Taiwan, making it easier for the public to understand the survival crisis faced by grass owls. April 22, 2020, was the 50th anniversary of World Earth Day, and National Geographic arranged for the world premiere of this precious conservation documentary to be shown on this day.

The tropical grasslands of southwestern Taiwan are home to the Taiwan grass owl. In the past, experts and scholars could not find grass owls in the wild, let alone complete photographic records. To save and help them, we first need to understand them. The biggest problem for conservationists is how to find the elusive grass owls. The film's director, Shou-yi Yang, said the reason he shot this film is, "Because it is difficult for scientists and bird experts to have a chance to see the owl in the wild, and because it is an endangered species, we began collecting information on the Taiwan grass owl.” In the winter of 2017, the Forestry Bureau, scholars, and experts began a satellite tracking program for Taiwan grass owls, giving our documentary team a good start for a wonderful ecological conservation story. Jun-ming Wan, one of the directors of this film, conducted field documentation with his keen eye for field observation and scientists.

However, filming the grass owl is a difficult task. Facing the natural environment and trying to reduce disturbance to the ecology, the film crew can be said to have exchanged their lives for the precious footage. Taiwan grass owls live in vast grasslands without any shade. When the weather was hot, the film crew and researchers had to work in the grasslands under the hot sun and often suffered from heatstroke. Also, as grass owls are nocturnal birds, the team had to stay up all night to film. To top it off, thunderstorms in the open grassland were very dangerous, and the crew experienced many dangerous situations. The director commented, "The most painful thing is when filming during the autumn and winter, many camera sets were burned to the ground by a grassland fire. It is almost impossible to find things lost in the grasslands, and we lost a lot of camera equipment and memory cards then."

In addition to the challenges brought about by the weather, the grasslands were full of Mimosa diplotricha, a small and spiny shrub, making it difficult to walk. Covered with barbed thorns, they have ripped several thick jeans that the team had to mend and repair constantly. At night, the grassland hides many poisonous snakes. Director Jun-ming Wan encountered snakes more than a dozen times. He not only stepped on a Taiwanese krait but also spent a night in the tent with a Kelung cat snake. He has also spent many sleepless nights in the mountains and was sent to the hospital after falling into a ravine. Rodents often chewed through equipment wires that were set up, including the specific remote control power cable used for professional cameras.

These challenges did not deter the film crew. They strived to complete the filming of the sensitive and precious birds with the least interference possible. In terms of technology, advanced night infrared cameras were used to solve the problem of filming at night, and in the field, the crew mostly used induction cameras to reduce interference with the ecology. The team also overcame the problem with the power supply for filming for long periods of time while maintaining the original integrity of the nesting area and the surrounding grass slope by setting up a shelter. All the efforts were made to film this rare endemic bird and make more people concerned about conserving endangered species in Taiwan.