The 10th edition of La Guarimba International Film Festival (瓜林巴國際電影節) was held from August 7 to 12 at the open-air cinema in Amantea of Calabria Region, Italy. The Cultural Division of Taipei Representative Office in Italy partnered with the festival and launched a series of activities under the title "Taiwan Focus."
Four selected films including "A Tayal (泰雅巴萊)" directed by Laha Mebow (陳潔瑤), "Q & A" by Limuy Asien (謝雅茹), "My Grandmother Is an Egg (我的阿婆是一顆蛋)" by Chang Wu-ching (張吾青), and "A Piece Of Cake (一塊蛋糕)" by Tseng Wen-yi (曾文奕) were screened as part of the programs "Indigenous Films" and "Taiwan Focus" on the closing night of the festival and received high acclaim. To mark the 10th anniversary of the festival, 15 artists from around the globe, including Taiwanese illustrator Monica Liaw (廖苡甯), have been invited to exhibit their poster illustrations at the exhibition "Artist for La Guarimba." Liaw's work was inspired by the exclusive Taiwanese Mandarin Phonetic Symbols and garnered significant attention.
Director Laha Mebow and Limuy Asien attended the festival and said that they appreciate the vibrancy of the festival with its local roots and international connections. They hope to deepen the world's understanding of Taiwanese Indigenous culture through screenings and seminars. Laha Mebow indicated she would like to learn from the spirit of "bringing the cinema back to the people and the people back to the cinema" and organize Taiwanese film festivals with indigenous characteristics.
Taiwan's representative to Italy Lee Sing-ying (李新穎) stated that being a country that upholds democracy, freedom, and human rights, Taiwan matches the core value of the film festival.