The feature film "A Journey in Spring" (春行) directed by Peng Tzu-hui (彭紫惠) and Wang Ping-wen (王品文) was awarded the Silver Shell for Best Director at the 71st San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) on Sept. 30, making it the first-ever Taiwanese film to receive an award in the Spanish film festival.
Culture Minister Shih Che congratulated the team through the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain. He mentioned that there has been a hiatus of 30 years since a Taiwanese film was nominated in the SSIFF, and "A Journey in Spring" stood out from 16 international competitors, marking the first Taiwanese film ever to win an award in one of the main events. He said that this not only shows the cultural content in Taiwan is recognized by the international community but also the new generation of filmmaking talents in the country has great strength and artistic energy.
Director Peng, who pursued her Master's degree at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia in Spain about five years ago, said that it was an honor to take her work to revisit the country and to receive the award. She thanked the film festival for the recognition. Meanwhile, director Wang explained that "A Journey in Spring" is a film made for the cinematic experience. Receiving an award in San Sebastian, a cinephile city, is truly fantastic, she said, dedicating the award to her beloved family and home country.
Founded in 1953, the SSIFF is held every year in San Sebastian city, located in the Basque Autonomous Community in northern Spain. It is a competitive feature film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations and is widely influential in Latin America and Spain.