"Girl in the Water (水中的女孩)," a Taiwanese animated short film directed by Huang Shi-rou (黃詩柔), was awarded the first prize in the Short Film Competition at the 5th Taiwan Film Festival in Australia, which was held from July 28 to August 13.
The seven-minute film is a hand-drawn animation, which is feminine and at a slow narrative rhythm, painted in watercolor and pastel frame by frame. Based on Huang's personal experience, the film tells a story about a woman who recalls some ups and downs of love while she is stroking the scar on her leg, waiting for the paint to dry. The film depicts femininity and female internal time-consciousness through the convalescence of a woman's broken heart.
According to Taiwan Film Festival in Australia, cinematographer Matthew Chuang, one of the competition juries, said, "'Girl in the Water' is deeply personal, honest and open. Incredibly beautiful and moving." Film critic Cheng Pin-hung (鄭秉泓), another competition jury, also commented, "'Girl in the Water' presented a very detailed and delicate angle towards the trauma and recovery with a unique interpretation."
Graduated from the Tainan National University of the Arts with an MFA degree in Animation and Film Art, Huang Shi-rou is a freelance animator and illustrator. Specializing in cel-animation, she often finds herself deep-diving into female consciousness.
Established in 2018, the Taiwan Film Festival, an annual film festival event to provide a professional showcase platform in Australia, returned to cinemas this year with a lineup of feature and short films that were screened in four cities across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Canberra. For more information, please visit Taiwan Film Festival's website or click here to watch the trailer of "Girl in the Water."
(Photo courtesy of Huang Shi-rou)