Taichung readies for international animation fair

2015/10/16

The Taichung International Animation Festival is to kick off Oct. 16, further strengthening this burgeoning creative sector in central Taiwan.

Organized by Taichung City Government, the one-week event will feature 155 animated films produced by students, award-winning directors and prestigious animation companies from 24 countries and territories.

“Our goal is to facilitate an exchange of ideas and film-making experience between local animators and global professionals in hope of raising the profile of Taiwan productions on the world stage,” Mayor Lin Chia-lung said.

“As the breeding ground of Taiwan’s film industry, this metropolis offers a rich creative environment where animation production companies and talent in the field can prosper. Construction projects like Central Taiwan Film Studios in Wufeng and Central Taiwan Cinema Center in Shuinan are also certain to help further boost the development of this sector.”

Echoing Lin’s remarks, festival curator Chen Yi-ching said the diversity of offerings by Taiwan talents is a testament to the growing strength of the local animation industry. “Comprising 2-D, 3-D and clay works, they provide a fresh take on the genre.”

Highlights of the festival include “The Elephant Apartments” by Taiwan’s Wang Shau-di. The short film tells the tale of a young man who recently lost his mother in an accident. As he struggles to come to terms with his grief, he encounters an extroverted girl who alters his perspective on life.

In the story, Elephant is the name of both the main character and the apartment complex in which he lives. The young man's appartment grows in size as his psychological status improves, symbolizing his strengthening emotional well-being.

Another highlight is the opening film “The Little Prince” by U.S. director Mark Osborne. Inspired by the 1943 novella of the same name by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the work follows a young girl who hears the story of a boy called the Little Prince from an eccentric old aviator. The work was screened at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Equally impressive is the closing picture “April and the Extraordinary World” by France’s Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci. The film depicts an alternative version of France where technological innovation has been suppressed and scientists mysteriously disappear.

The plot follows teenage girl April as she teams up with a cat and her best friend to find her missing scientist parents. The movie received the Crystal Award at France’s Annecy International Animated Film Festival this year.

In addition, the Taichung International Animation Festival will feature a competition for emerging Taiwan productions in which a total of 44 short films selected from a 379-strong field will seek to claim the top award and a cash prize of NT$500,000 (US$15,271).

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=237803&ctNode=2194&mp=9)