The TIAF unveil the films selected for “Director in Focus” and “Studio in Focus”
The TIAF unveil the films selected for “Director in Focus” and “Studio in Focus”
Weird characters in animation – monsters and food become lead characters, winning hearts of the audience
The tickets of the 2018 TIAF will go on sale at noon on September 21st (Fri). Echoing the theme of “Fantasy and Reality”, the TIAF unveil the films in the two heavy-weight categories - “Director in Focus – Paul Bush” and “Studio in Focus – Cube Creative” today. Directors Paul Bush and Nicolas Deveaux of the Cube Creative are invited to Taiwan to meet the audience and show a series of their works, leading the viewers into their creative worlds. Moreover, the TIAF presents a short film category called “Character Formula – Weird Things” alongside a strand of feature animated films, including Ana and Bruno and Foodiverse; the protagonists in these films are full of unique characters. As these films not only were screened but won awards at many international film festivals, we believe that these special weird things will cause a great sensation in Taichung in October!
Known for his experimental animation, renowned animator Paul Bush is an expert in creating enchanting images that reverse the reality and fantasy. Since Bush established the workshop in 1981, he has devoted himself to film education, teaching courses on art and film at the Royal College of Art and Harvard University, and since 1994, Bush has made many short animated films and won several awards. In recent years, retrospectives of Bush’s works were held in Budapest, Montreal, Bristol and London. In “Director in Focus – Paul Bush” at the 2018 TIAF, we selected 17 films of his, including His Comedy (1991), made by scratching directly into 35mm, Secret Love (2002), The Five Minute Museum (2005) and Ride (2018); the last was in competition at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival this year. This is the first major retrospective of Paul Bush held in Taiwan. Apart from the two masterclasses, in which Bush will share the creative process of his work, the director will perform before the screening of his films at the Kabro Cinemas on 14th October.
Echoing this year’s theme, “Fantasy and Reality”, the TIAF presents “Studio in Focus – Cube Creative”, showing several films on animals directed by Nicolas Deveaux. Having caused such a big sensation in France, Deveaux combines the documentary-like realist image with wild imagination, allowing the audience to re-construct their idea of reality while watching the films. In 1 Mètre/Heure, Deveaux puts slow-moving snails alongside a fast-travelling plane, and in such a sharp contrast, the snails are doing ballet! In Athleticus, we see elephants play baseball with turtles and giraffes compete against ostriches in a relay race. If you love animals, please do not miss the chance to see Deveaux’s films!
Adapted from the novel, Ana, by Daniel Emil, Ana and Bruno was selected for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. It tells the story of Anna, a little girl who lives with her mother in a mental hospital. One day when a frightening dragon invades the hospital, Anna’s mother is imprisoned. In order to look for her father, Ana embarks on a journey, accompanied by a group of weird comical characters. Foodiverse, in which various kinds of food we are familiar with become the protagonists, describes how a dumpling, a bun and a group of their friends are tired of their lives and are about to go on an adventure. However, is what awaits them a “perfect” ending or an evil conspiracy?
All the short films selected in “Character Formula: Weird Things” demonstrate unique characters with strong personalities and provide the audience with fresh viewpoints. The program includes The Nowhere Room directed by the celebrated British illustrators McLeod brothers; through the numerous doors that go into all sorts of mysterious spaces, the film unfolds a series of funny and ridiculous incidents. Grandpa Walrus won the Audience Award at the 2017 Annecy and Best Animated Short at the French César Awards in 2018; almost like the animated version of the Taiwanese film, Seven Days in Heaven, Grandpa Walrus tells the story of a grandma, who leads the whole family to the seaside to hold a memorial service for the grandpa, but a string of strange things take place. The winner of the Renzo Kinoshita Prize at the 2018 Hiroshima International Animation Festival, The Ogre feels like an encounter between Jan Švankmajer and Bill Plympton; it depicts how a mysterious man fails to control his huge appetite at a banquet and things begin to get out of control. Eight short films, each with its distinctive style, will be screened as a program at the TIAF.
The 2018 TIAF is held between October 11th (Thursday) and 16th (Tuesday) at Taichung Showtime Cinemas S2 and Kbro Cinemas. The tickets will go on sale at 12.00 pm on September 21st (Friday) on ibon machines nationwide and the website. In addition to the films shown during the festival, several free outdoor screenings, introductory talks in schools and masterclasses are held. For more information on the program and events, please visit the TIAF official website (twtiaf.com) and Facebook fan page (facebook.com/tiaf.taichung).
