Program Director

Welcome to the 11th Taichung International Animation Festival!

In TIAF 2025, we focus on the theme“Animation Feels the World.” Animation is not just a technique to bring images to life; it is a way to perceive the world. It invites us to reexamine the ordinary, empathize with others, and rediscover imagination in a rapidly changing era.

This year marks the first“Country of Focus”, featuring France－renowned for poetic narratives, innovation, and cultural depth, and a global leader in animation. The opening film“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” adapted from Amélie NOTHOMB's novel, depicts a young girl's growth with poetic sensitivity, while the closing film “The Songbirds' Secret,” produced by Folimage, concludes with lyrical warmth.

The Focus Section highlights Korean director Jae-Huun AHN, known for pencil-drawn animation and literary adaptations, and Japanese director Kiyotaka OSHIYAMA, celebrated for fantastical, intense visuals. The Studio in Focus spotlights Folimage in France, whose works combine poetry and education, touching both adults and children.

The family section “Baby Universe,” curated by GUO Wuan-Ling, curator of the Taiwan International Children's Film Festival, together with Japan’s dwarf studios, brings delightful stop-motion works for young audiences. Director Fish WANG, Golden Horse Award winner, curates a special program of international gems, while the Taiwan spotlight “Animation Mania Island” showcases new talent and award-winning shorts, exploring diverse themes and forms.

International exchange continues with a collaboration with the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, deepening Asia’s creative ties.

The festival also introduces a Feature Film Competition, with 5 finalists and 63 shorts selected from 2,879 submissions. The jury includes internationally renowned Bulgarian director Theodore USHEV, South Korean director Yumi JOUNG, BILLARD Agnès from GOBELINS Paris, renowned Japanese producer Noriko MATSUMOTO, the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival's chief curator Tomoko ONO, and Taiwanese directors Joe HSIEH, Fish WANG, and Vick WANG. Their diverse perspectives will shape this year’s awards.

Building on a decade of growth, TIAF now expands with a focus country, feature film competition, and international collaborations—further defining Taichung’s role in global animation. Through “Animation Feels the World.” we invite audiences to see how animation connects emotion and reason, history and the future, the local and the global, and to discover its endless possibilities.