2018 TIAF Short Films Competition Lineup Announced
2018 Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF)
Short Films Competition Lineup Announced
Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF) will march into its fourth edition, and this year, the submissions to its signature Short Films in Competition exceed 2,000, a record high since the installment of the festival. Preliminary jury have voted and selected 100 animated short films out of the 2,006 submissions from 92 countries, including the latest work of last year’s grand prize winner of Student Films and many more, veterans and newcomers alike. The festival will offer 8 awards (1.2 million TWD in total) along with 2 audience choice awards. The 2018 TIAF will take place between 11 October and 16 October in Taichung with a fantastic line-up of global animated works.
TIAF firstly launched its International Open Call, aiming for the global animators to extend the international and local filmmaker communications. Last year, TIAF received over 1,800 submissions with attendances of many filmmakers. This year, the organizer Taichung Film Development Foundation retains the two competitions Short Films and Student Short Films, while also adding two more competition categories Taiwanese Short Films and Taiwanese Student Short Films, which recognizes the excellence of domestic animated works. After four and a half months of calling for entry, followed by three months of selection by six preliminary jurors, 100 animated works make it into the final selection and will be shown in this October.
Director Ma Kuang-Pei, head of the preliminary jury for Short Films and Taiwanese Short Films, noted that the diversity, materials and innovative expression of this year’s selection amazed the jury. These works explore profound topics in varied artistic ways, which took the jury a 7-hour debate to finalize the selection. Director Liao Wei-Chih, head of the preliminary jury for Student Short Films and Taiwanese Student Short Films, also praises the high quality of the submissions, which demonstrates professional level of execution, sometimes even better. The unstrained creativity combined with artistry and proficiency shows the unique perspective of each selected work.
Executive Director of Taichung Film Development Foundation Lin Ying-Chih noted that final selection covers 28 countries and territories worldwide, including many Taiwan premieres of animated works from the four major animation festivals: Weekends (Jury Award and Audience Award), Cyclists (Jury Distinction) at Annecy International Animation Film Festival and La Chute (Short Film Grand Prix) at Animafest Zagreb. Director Vincent Paronnaud (Persepolis) will also show his new creation La Mort, Père et Fils.
This year, there are 26 Taiwanese works selected, and many of them already recognized by different competition and awards: St(r)ay (Best Animated Short Film nomination, Golden Horse Awards), Our Moon (Best Film Score, Golden Harvest Awards), Si So Mi (Best Animation nomination, Taipei Film Awards), and As Usual (Silver Award, Youth Film Festival). Director Hsueh Yu-Ting’s Crash Testing was awarded at 2016 TIAF, and his new work The Wayward Kite enters the competition again. Golden Horse Awards winner Jack Shih also returns to the Festival with My Little Boys, a collaboration with famous writer Luo Yihun.
Preliminary jury for the 2018 TIAF are: Ma Kuang-Pei (The Soliloquist, Annecy International Animation Film Festival), Hsieh Pei-Wen (Program Director/Animator), Liu Wan-Lin (Head of Department of Multimedia & Animation, Chung-Hwa School of Arts), Liao Wei-Chih (Silent Code, Animation Director), Yang Yung-Shiuan (Stories about Him, Animation Director) and Amos Hsiao Hung-Lin (Founder of Taiwan Contemporary Animation Comic Original Forum).
2018 TIAF will be held between October 11th (Thursday) and October 16th (Tuesday) at Showtime Cinemas Taichung Station S2 and Kbro Cinemas with screenings of all the selected animated works. Winners of the competition will be announced at the awarding ceremony on October 16th. For more info on the films and events, please visit the official website (TWTIAF.com) and Facebook Fan Page (facebook.com/TIAF.TAICHUNG).
