The 20th South Taiwan Film Festival will present a total of 39 films shortlisted for this year's South Award online from Nov. 6 -13. Since 2003, the annual film festival has presented South Award, an accolade that recognizes films exploring challenges and circumstances facing Mandarin-speaking community.
Organized by the South Taiwan Film Association and Tainan City Government's Cultural Affairs Bureau, the festival will present the films divided into the following award categories: Best Feature, Best Animation, Best Fiction Short, Best Experimental Film, Best Documentary, Human Rights, and Citizen Tainan that celebrates cinematic works surrounding the theme of the centuries-old city.
With free registration at video platform Giloo, viewers from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines will be able to watch the films that address topics spanning from infidelity, death of a family member, the 2019 Hong Kong protests to circumstances facing migrant workers in Taiwan.
The festival also covers premieres of feature film "Years of Macau" and Iranian documentary "Gracefully." Directed by nine directors, most of whom were born and raised in the former Portuguese colony, "Years of Macau" tells time-transcending stories about the administrative region's past and the present.
"Gracefully," according to the festival, follows an 80-year-old man, known in his youth for having danced at local ceremonies and celebrations dressed as a woman. Dancing publicly has been banned after the Iranian revolution of 1979 and the man now lives as a farmer, taking care of cows.
From Nov. 7 to 12, a series of post-screening sessions featuring filmmakers and the festival's CEO and program director will take place at the festival's Facebook page.
The festival was founded in 2001 by a group of Taiwanese cinephiles who aimed to transform Southern Taiwan as a bastion for large-scale film festivals since Northern Taiwan was the place where such events took place at that time.
Over the years, the festival has become a platform where emerging filmmakers showcase their works, in addition to introducing acclaimed independent films to audiences in the region.
In 2003, the festival organizer established the South Award to further encourage filmmakers dedicated to offer multi-perspective movies that tackle social and cultural issues related to the Mandarin-speaking community.
The award ceremony will be livestreamed at the festival's Facebook Page on Nov. 13.
Click here to download the 2020 South Taiwan Film Festival Brochure.