2024 TIAF Short Film Competition Finalists Announced

2024 TIAF Short Film Competition Finalists Announced

Global Participation from 107 Countries and Regions! The 2024 "Taichung International Animation Festival" Short Film Competition Finalists Announced

The TIAF Taichung International Animation Festival, Taiwan's only animation-themed festival, has officially entered its tenth year. Today (the 8th), the shortlist for the highly anticipated "Short Film Competition" was announced! Out of nearly 3,000 entries from 107 countries and regions, 62 films have emerged as finalists. These include outstanding local Taiwanese animations as well as works that have already been recognized at prestigious international festivals such as the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France and the Zagreb Animation Festival in Croatia. These exceptional animations will compete for a total prize of 1.35 million NTD at this year's festival.

Director of the Information Bureau, Luan Chih-Yi, stated that the 2024 Taichung International Animation Festival, guided by the Taichung City Government and the Information Bureau and organized by the Taichung Film Development Foundation, will celebrate its tenth anniversary. With the support and promotion of Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen, who also serves as the chairman of the foundation, and the city government team, the festival has become an annual grand event in the animation industry. This year’s competition attracted a total of 2,869 outstanding animation works from 107 countries and regions, highlighting Taichung's status as a premier international platform for animation exchange in Asia.

The Taichung Film Development Foundation explained that after rigorous judging process, the jury selected 62 outstanding works. These include new works by renowned Japanese independent animation master and also 2022 TIAF spotlight director Koji Yamamura’s "Extremely Short," as well as the Venice Film Festival Best Short Film Award nominee "In the Shadow of the Cypress," and excellent works from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival like "The Meatseller" and "Echoes."

This year's finalists for the "Short Film Competition" and "Student Short Film Competition" include the following works (listed from left to right, top to bottom):《Extremely Short》、《In the Shadow of the Cypress》、《The Meatseller》、《Echoes》、《Butterfly》、及《To Be a Seed》。

The curator of the animation festival, Wang Chi-Sui, stated that Taiwanese works have also performed exceptionally well. Director Wang Wei-fan's film "HEY DAD," which was shortlisted for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Zagreb Animation Festival, stands out with its emotionally nuanced content and tender portrayal of the inner life of a gay man. Emerging animation director Yang Tzu-Hsin brought the visually distinctive and lively work "Dragon fire." Veteran animator and director Lee Erik showcased Taiwan's animation prowess with "Fan," created in a beautiful watercolor art style.

New Taiwanese animation talents are also making their mark. The film "Minus Plus Multiply" uses containers as a metaphor for a safe place to explore the relationship between emotions and space. "Hotel L'Infini" features a well-structured story and smooth action performances. "Exist," created with stop-motion animation, captures the flow of wind, and "Homing" portrays the complex emotions within family relationships. These works demonstrate the innovation and unique concepts of Taiwan's emerging animators, with each finalist showcasing diverse styles and rich themes. Whether in visual effects or narrative depth, these films are highly anticipated! 

Taiwanese works have performed exceptionally well. Listed from left to right, top to bottom, they are:《HEY DAD》、《Dragon Fire》、《Fan》、《Minus Plus Multiply》、《Hotel L'Infini》、《Exist》及《Homing》。

Curator Wang Chi-Sui added that this year's jury lineup is particularly impressive. The qualification review panel includes Huang Ruei-Feng, a director who won the Annual Award at the Taiwan International Student Design Competition; Chen Wei-Yuan, who participated in the production of Taiwan’s first animation series on Netflix, "Brave Animated Series"; and animators Li Ji-Tian and Chen I-Wen, both of whom have been shortlisted for international film festivals. The panel is completed by Taiwanese animation critic Ye Zhi-Ting. The preliminary review panel features Chiou Joy, Secretary General of the Animation and Visual Effects Association; Yang Sung-Cheng, Art Director at A STUDIO A Co., Ltd.; and Liu Wan-Ling, who recently won the Best Animated Feature Director award at the Taipei Film Festival. The student group panel includes director Fang Hsin-Kai, who has been nominated at the Boston Film Festival; director Chan Kai-Hsun, who won the Best Graduation Film Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival; and Miss Charlie Chen Chiu-Ling, an illustrator and animation director.

The preliminary judges for the 2024 TIAF Short Film Competition, listed from top to bottom and left to right, are: Chiou Joy, Yang Sung-Cheng, Liu Wan-Ling, Fang Hsin-Kai, Chan Kai-Hsun, and Charlie Chen Chiu-Ling.

The Taichung Film Development Foundation further stated that the festival is not only a stage for animation creators to showcase their talents but also a fantastic opportunity for animation enthusiasts to enjoy outstanding animation works from around the world. To provide more opportunities for young Taiwanese animation creators to display their talents and to inspire them to continuously pursue excellence and innovation in animation, TIAF has teamed up with industry forces and resources. In collaboration with the Animation and Visual Effects Association, the festival will offer three special awards in the Student Short Film Competition: the "BEST TECHNICAL AWARD," the "BEST ARTISTIC AWARD," and the "BEST STORYTELLING AWARD," to recognize the exceptional performance of Taiwanese student creators in technical skills, art, and storytelling.

This year marks the festival's tenth anniversary, and it aims to continue promoting Taiwanese animation, providing a broader perspective for Taiwanese animators and the public, and fostering more international industry exchanges. The foundation will continue to deepen its efforts in expanding and developing animation, promoting more opportunities for exchange with the international animation community, and ensuring that Taiwan's high-quality creators thrive globally.

The 2024 TIAF will take place at Vie Show Cinemas Taichung Taroko Mall in Taichung from October 18th to 27th. For more exciting film lineups and the latest updates on the event, please stay tuned to the official TIAF website: http://twtiaf.com, or the official Facebook page: http://facebook.com/tiaf.taichung.