Taiwan has delivered outstanding and unprecedented performances in the 2024 edition of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market. Two titles are selected in Short Films in Competition, including Hey Dad (Perspectives section) and Is This Now the Time I Should Let You Go? (Graduation Films section). Besides, two projects, Lost and Found and Long Distance Call, are included in Mifa Pitches, seeking international development resources.
As the annual highlight in the animation industry, this year's Annecy starts from June 9th to June 15th. Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) continues to set up an on-site pavilion and holds Partners Pitches: Taiwan Spotlight with the Mifa for five projects from Taiwan. Additionally, this year TAICCA also arranges Taiwan Talents Showcase screening session, showcasing two short films eligible for Oscar nominations next year aiming to connect with international networks, including Ghost of the Dark Path by Fish Wang, the winner of Cristal for the Best VR Work at Annecy 2023; and rising contemporary artist ZHANG XU Zhan.
With two titles in Competition, and two projects in Mifa Pitches this year, Taiwan has more presence at Annecy than ever. Alongside the two Taiwanese titles eligible for Oscar nominations next year, it indicates great prospects for animation industries and cultural content from Taiwan. TAICCA Chairperson Homme Tsai says that the creators in Taiwan have taken animation commissions in the past, and with this history as a foundation for the industry, original works have also long been in progress. By attending international festivals and market pitches, animation talents and works in Taiwan have the opportunity to connect with international resources and global markets.
Among the two short films competing in the festival, Hey Dad by Wang Wei-fan, takes a gentle approach to unveiling the inner sides of LGBT communities, while Is This Now the Time I Should Let You Go? by Tsai Yi-Chin tells the story of a daughter's love to her deceased father 13 years ago through a collage of home videos, animation, and experimental negative films. Besides being selected in Annecy, the former was also included in FIRE!! Barcelona LGBT Film Festival and Animafest Zagreb, while the latter has been selected for Sundance Film Festival: Asia in 2023, Seattle International Film Festival in 2024, and Palm Springs International ShortFest in 2024. Tsai also won Best Animated Short at the Golden Horse Awards with her previous work Where Am I Going? as an animator.
Also, two short film projects with developing potential are competing in Mifa Pitches. Lost and Found by Chung Cheng-Hsu is an absurd, horror, and fantastical three-way romantic story that involves a queer couple. The story unfolds and gradually clarifies the couple's views on love. Long Distance Call by Huang Shih-Yen, describes a story from the female's perspective, through a phone call on Christmas, it reveals underlying traumas and scars between two distanced sisters. Huang previously won a prize at Annecy in the year 2021 with her graduation film Butterfly Jam.
In this year's Taiwan Spotlight session, organized by TAICCA with the partnership of Mifa, two animated series projects and three feature film projects are pitching to gain international recognition and resources. Two series include Mola Mola Art by Chen Yu-hong and Lai Ying-wen and Beast of Clouds by Lien Chun-chien. The latter is adapted from the namesake award-winning comics by Hambuck and National Taiwan Museum about Formosan clouded leopards. Three feature film projects include the adventurous fantasy The Wandering Stories of Blosmoss by Fish Wang, Clouded Leopard, also a story about Formosan clouded leopards, by Chi Po-chou, and Madame: Welcome to Dolly's House by Rady Fu and Liu Yu-shu.
Among these five projects in Taiwan Spotlight, Beast of Clouds, The Wandering Stories of Blosmoss, Clouded Leopard, and Madame: Welcome to Dolly's House have all been supported by TAICCA's Creative Content Development Program: Development Fund (CCDP) program. Madame: Welcome to Dolly's House also pitched at the 2023 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) organized by TAICCA.
For the Taiwan Talents Showcase, TAICCA will organize screening and networking events for two Taiwanese short films eligible for Oscar nominations: Ghost of the Dark Path and Compound Eyes of Tropical. The former, won Best Aniabout history during the White Horror period, mated Short Film at the Sitges Film Festival in 2023 to be eligible for Oscars 2025. The latter won Grand Prize at Bucheon International Animation Festival in Korea in October 2023, therefore qualified for Oscars 2025. This event will also screen previous titles by these two filmmakers, including Gold Fish (Best Animated Short at Golden Horse Awards 2019) by Fish Wang, Si So Mi, Ritual of Cathode Ray Tube, and ANIMATION DAILY SERIES NO.1-NO.19 by Zhang Xu Zhan. Two filmmakers will attend the festival and the Mifa to engage with international professionals and also show sketches, manuscripts, and even the puppets used in creating their films.
Taiwan Pavilion this year includes 53 titles from 35 companies in the online catalog, of which 24 companies will also join Mifa on-site, demonstrating a wide diversity and abundance of Taiwanese animations. These titles include the animation series: Brian, Ro Ro Land – The Succulent's Tale, A-Nee-Gu Fights the Magical Bugs, Giant Tree Island, Brave Animated Series Season 2, and Crazy Night Market; short films: Limbo, Twenty Two, and Fan; and feature films: A Mighty Adventure, Luda, and Grandma and Her Ghosts 2: Baby Power.
To facilitate great titles with global market potential and influences, TAICCA will organize the fifth edition of TCCF this November. “TCCF PITCHING: Project to Screen” sessions welcome international entries including feature films, series, animation, and documentary projects, while “TCCF PITCHING: Story to Screen” sessions focus on local stories and IPs with the potential for international audiovisual adaptations. The winner will receive cash prizes and investment support opportunities from TAICCA, with the total incentive reaching above US$3.3 million. The open call for TCCF PITCHING will close on July 31st.
