Department of Cultural Affairs

Since its inception in 1998, Taipei Film Festival has become one of the most important dates in Taipei culture calendar and has earned a deserved reputation and a place on the international circuit. With screenings of more than 160 films from over 40 countries, approximately 100,000 attendants each year, its majority is made up of a decidedly young audience. Chaired by actress, film producer Lee Lieh, the festival screens works from all corners of the globe, and persistently attracts the finest works from respected independent filmmakers. Therefore, the Festival attracts not only moviegoers but also film professionals that seek to explore the potentials of Taiwanese cinema. Last year, more than 20 films shown in the festival were sold to local distributors and had theatrical releases in Taiwan.

 

The festival consists of the following sections:
International New Talent Competition:
Featuring the first or second innovative work of new and talented filmmakers from around the globe. Taipei Film Festival is the only festival in Taiwan that boasts of a film competition especially for international new talent directors.

Taipei Film Awards Competition:
Taipei Film Awards is a competition for Taiwanese films, making this Festival the best way to see works from Taiwan. Going into its sixteenth year, the Taipei Film Awards continues to champion Taiwanese cinema and the talent that it launches into the international spotlight. Films screened at the competition represent successful and populist trends in contemporary Taiwanese cinema: Examples include 2008's runaway hit Cape No. 7 (with a record-breaking box office take of NT$500 million), the popular and moving No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti in 2009. What is worth mentioning is that feature films are not the only strength of Taiwanese cinema. Over the past 4 years, the grand prize of NT$1 million were given to documentary films, including 2010's documentary” Let the Wind Carry Me”, 2011’s “Taivalu”, “A Gift for Father's Day - The Tragedy of HsiaolinVillage Part 1”, 2012’s ”Hometown Boy” and the latest winner,” A Rolling Stone”  in 2013.    

City in Focus/ Panorama:
A special non-competition section that focuses on one or two cities every year and introduces their films and culture to the audience in Taiwan. There are more exciting sections such as Filmmaker in Focus, Midnight, Music and introduction of boundary-breaking films. In 2014, we are celebrating our 16th edition from June 27 to July 19. The 16th Taipei Film Festival will honor the city of Warsaw as its featured series which showcases both established classics and modern masterpieces in Polish cinema. The festival will also highlight urban stories and notable filmmakers from around the world, allowing audiences to explore the issues of cultural diversity via direct access to international cinema.

 

The official website of the Taipei Film Festival at http://www.taipeiff.org.tw(in Chinese version).

 

 

 

The Taipei Film Festival has a rich history and has had several names over the years.The predecessor of the Taipei Film Festival was the China Times Express Film Awards, which was established in 1988. In 1994, it was renamed the Taipei Film Awards and divided into commercial and non-commercial film awards.

 

Many talented filmmakers entered the public view through the competition. In 1998, Taipei City Government became the organizer and host of the Taipei Film Awards and the international film screening, and since then it has expanded the film festival into an international event.In 2002, under the direction of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the City Vision category was added to the festival.

 

Each year a foreign city has been chosen for the theme and the Taiwanese audience is introduced to the films, history, and culture of that city through screenings, exhibitions, forums, and a variety of other events, the Taiwanese audience is introduced to the movies, history, and culture of a foreign city that is picked as the theme city of the year. Since 2005, the International Youth Director Competition has featured in the Taipei Film Festival with three major concepts: the city, Chinese-language artists, and new talent.

 

The three concepts have not only become essential to the festival, but have also provided a great opportunity for international and Taiwanese filmmakers to improve and learn from each other. In 2015, the International Youth Director Competition was renamed the International New Talent Competition.Since late 2007, the Taipei Film Festival has been affiliated with the Taipei Culture Foundation as a permanent film exhibition program, aiming to make Taipei a film-production-friendly city through sustainable development.

 

Meanwhile, the festival also cooperates with the Taipei Film Commission, which is also run by the Taipei Culture Foundation, to improve information interchanges between the film industry and the city promotion industry. To develop and cultivate the Taiwanese movies in respect to the global vision, the Taipei Film Festival holds festival events, invites important international city film committee members, hosts film city forums, and enhances the interchange of promotion on film and the city, and related industry experiences as well.

 

Taipei Film Festival competitions are as follows:International New Talent Competition (formerly the International YouthDirector Competition)The International New Talent Competition is the only international narrative feature film competition in Taiwan that provides opportunities for international and Taiwanese filmmakers to improve and learn from each other.

 

Featuring the first or second narrative features of new directors from around the globe, the competition amazes audiences with magnificent story-telling and creativity.Taipei Film AwardsThe Taipei Film Awards is the only film competition in Taiwan for professional Taiwanese filmmakers. The Grand Prize is NT$ 1,000,000.

 

Every year, international film selectors and critics are invited to serve on the panel to promote Taiwanese films that will be seen worldwide. Yearly categories include Filmmaker in Focus and Special Screening and bring the audience a variety of cinematic experiences.

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2018 Taipei Film Festival 

The theme of the selected films for this year's “International New Talent Competition” mostly centered on international mobility and human autonomy. Other issues covered included: the production of daily goods to abandoned global production chains, immigration-related arranged marriages, migrant workers, and international drug trafficking. These issues express the interconnectedness of modern humans and the situations the often encounter. In addition, implicit economic pressures are also reflected in the groups' Creativity reflected in rebellion or subjective choices imply economic pressures suffered by some groups forgotten by society.
 
Apart from the international context, the selected films had main characters who found themselves limited in expressing their views, and thus resorted to violence, refusal to comply with regulations, occupying the streets, or pretending to be ghosts. This is a declaration made by emerging filmmakers this year for contemporary society.
 
The Taipei Film Awards is the only competition platform set up for Taiwan's films. The NT$1 million Grand Prize, also known as the highest award in Taiwan's film industry, aims to encourage Taiwan's outstanding filmmakers and increase the visibility of Taiwanese films at home and abroad.
 
The number of entries for the 2018 Taipei Film Awards reached 311, a record high compared to previous entries. The selection committee chose 40 films from the four categories of narrative features, documentaries, short films, and animated films.
 
This year's narrative features responded to the issues of concern through different types and realistic approaches. The documentaries shattered original ways of thinking and challenge contemporary society. The short films used documentary materials and characters to generate different perspectives and aesthetics, unlike those of local filmmakers. The animated films balanced reality and imagination, further extending aid to people and enriching Taiwan's filmscape.