Grand Opening of the Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF)   International Filmmakers Take Center Stage, Showcasing Taichung to the World

Grand Opening of the Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF)  
International Filmmakers Take Center Stage, Showcasing Taichung to the World
 
The 2023 Taichung International Animation Festival (TIAF) officially kicked off today with a star-studded lineup of international filmmakers. The esteemed panel of international juries includes Nobuaki Doi, curator of the Hiroshima Animation Season in Japan, director Hugo Covarrubias from Chile, and the renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Toe Yuen. They all graced the opening press conference, supporting the festival. Additionally, LIAO Chiung-Chih, Deputy Director of the Information Bureau, Taichung City Government drew the lucky winner of the pre-sale event's grand prize, a round-trip ticket to Hiroshima, Japan, creating the first wave of excitement for the festival.
 
Deputy Director LIAO Chiung-Chih expressed that, now in its 9th edition, TIAF has progressively become one of Asia's most significant animation events. It has established strong relationships with various international animation festivals and professionals. One such friendly partner is the upcoming Hiroshima Animation Season. TIAF has invited the curator of Hiroshima Animation Season, Nobuaki DOI, to serve as a jury and introduce the new program “TIAF Observatory: Hiroshima Animation Season Selected”. This addition aims to give Taiwanese animation enthusiasts a broader understanding of Japanese animation. The Taichung Film Development Foundation offered a round-trip ticket to Hiroshima to encourage the exchange of Taiwan and Japanese animation. This gesture emphasizes their effort and dedication to promoting the development of the animation and film industry. Nobuaki DOI, well-known for curating numerous internationally acclaimed animation works, expressed his fondness for Taiwan and looks forward to exchanging ideas with fellow animation enthusiasts. He hopes this visit will act as a perfect bridge between Taiwan and Japan’s animation industry.
 
LIN Ying-Chih, Director of the Taichung Film Development Foundation, highlighted that this year has seen the attendance of several international filmmakers and participants crossing borders to join the festival. In addition to Nobuaki DOI, Hugo COVARRUBIAS, and Toe YUEN serving as juries with Joy CHIOU and WU De-Chuen, the festival's "Director in Focus," American independent animation master Bill PLYMPTON, and the President of Studio4℃, TANAKA Eiko, will host lectures, engaging directly with fans to share the boundless world of animation.
 
Director LIN Ying-Chih further noted that this edition of the festival has achieved remarkable success in both box office performance and attendance at festival events. The opening and closing films, "LUDA" and "PHOENIX: Reminiscence of Flower", as well as the Dawn Package, quickly sold out after the start of pre-sales. Outdoor screening events attracted enthusiastic participation from audiences, including families with children. To show appreciation to the fans, the festival will feature a point collection and lottery system during its duration, offering a chance to win prizes such as hotel vouchers, tickets to Lihpao Resort Discovery Land, festival memorabilia, and various collaborative gifts. Fans are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, as the more tickets purchased, the higher the chance of winning, with a maximum of five lottery entries per person.
 

 
The "2023 Taichung International Animation Festival" will run from October 13th (Friday) to October 21st (Saturday) at the VIESHOW Cinemas Taichung Taroko Mall, spanning nine days across two weekends. With a curated selection of animations and filmmaker lectures, animation enthusiasts are urged to attend this exciting event. Tickets are available on-site and through the OPENTIX ticketing system. For more information on ticket sales, point collection activities, and filmmaker lecture details, please visit the official website http://twtiaf.com and Facebook fan page http://facebook.com/tiaf.taichung.