The Taipei Film Festival was established in 1998 and has been held each year ever since. The event is organized and promoted by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government. The chairman of the Taipei Film Festival is Sylvia Chang, a well-known Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, director and producer. Over the years, the festival has become one of the most important international cultural events in Taiwan and one of the most influential film festivals in the region.
The Taipei Film Festival screens about 160 films from over 40 countries every year, attracting approximately 100,000 attendees per edition. The majority of the audience is made up of young people eager to get acquainted with the best that contemporary cinema has to offer.
The Taipei Film Festival is the only film festival in the Republic of China that hosts a competition for emerging filmmakers. Its International New Talent Competition is open to first and second features by up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world. The festival also hosts a national film competition for Taiwanese filmmakers (Taipei Film Awards).
Alongside the two competitions, the program of the festival includes a special non-competition section called City in Focus. Every year it focuses on one and two cities and introduces their films and culture to the audience. There are other special sections such as Filmmaker in Focus, Music, Midnight, Panorama, etc. Film screenings are held in several cinemas throughout Taipei. The program also features other parallel events such as panels, workshops, Q&As, and more.
Most of the festival attendees are avid film lovers and cinema-goers from Taiwan and neighboring countries but the Taipei Film Festival also attracts international industry professionals. Local distributors use the festival as an opportunity to select the best international films that they would like to buy and screen. For example, in 2014 over 20 films showcased at the festival subsequently had a theatrical release in Taiwan.
Photo: eng.taipeiff.org.tw
